Tears of a Forgotten Summoner
by Rose Northe
Summary: What if the world called Spira is corrupted by lies? What if the meeting of the summoner girl and Zanarkandian boy was manipulated to appease those lies? What now would happen when the lies start to corrode away? Tidus x Yuna: Chapter 13 posted
1. After the End

**Disclaimer:** I do not own, or pretend to own, Final Fantasy X-2 and any of the characters, storylines, or other rights that belong to Square Soft and it's copyright holders.

Hello, I am Rose Northe, and this is my first fan fiction. I'd like to apologize in advance for any and all heinous grammatical and spelling errors, as well as any random sentences that make no sense, other sentences that are missing random words, and even random words that are missing random letters (I really should increase my pitiful vocabulary …). First of all, I except any and all reviews, flames and otherwise, and I will always finish my stories so you need not wonder about that. Anyway, I've wasted enough of your time on with the story …

Summery: What if the world in which they live is corrupted and twisted by lies? What if the meeting of the summoner girl and Zanarkandian boy was manipulated to appease those lies? What now would happen when the lies start to corrode away? Will those searching for peace and happiness be then satisfied? Or will they be cast into hell? Eventual Tidus x Yuna Takes place after X-2, minus the ending where Tidus comes back to Yuna. Rated T just in case, steeped more in the dark side of things. Probably most of the characters will be out of character.

**Tears of a Forgotten Summoner**

**Chapter 1: After the End**

_Just once more …_

The man slipped in and out of the shadows, practically invisible to the crowds gathered around the streets of Luca. Although he knew the consequences of being seen and recognized here were dire and more than his already battered body could handle, he still felt the need to risk it.

_I need to see her …_

Nearly three long years had passed since then. Traveling along with them hadn't been a problem in the beginning, he just played his part and obeyed all he was told to do, even though his very nature screamed at him that it was wrong. The one who orchestrated all this and simultaneously held the man's fate in his hands had deemed it necessary. He had set up a meeting, even made the man go through a background illusion just to make his performance 'real', and leeched off the man's powers to make that girl look like a summoner.

_That's all I need …_

He had done it so many times before, played a part, manipulating one person or other to make a different decision than they would have originally made. In truth, he had forgotten how many times he had repeated the same scenario.

Make them believe you are who you pretend to be. Don't worry, it won't hurt them. You're only helping them and getting shards of your soul back.

His eyes squeezed shut against those ugly rules and ideas that he had lived by for the last thousand years. Truth be told, he was only in this to regain his soul in its entirety, but somewhere along the way he had seemed to have forgotten exactly _why_ he needed his soul back.

To live? … Hardly.

To die? … Maybe.

To get revenge? … Probably.

He shook his head slightly, trying unsuccessfully to bring his mind back from the ever present trap it was heading for. His chance to live had been stolen years ago. His chance of dying in peace was just as improbable. Revenge … well, everyone he had wanted to pay for what they did were long dead and rotting in their graves. Good enough punishment.

Now he was simply without a purpose. He had hit a wall. No shards of his soul were in sight, maybe they had just stopped existing altogether. Those who had ruined his life and who possessed most of the pieces of his broken aura were missing or already departed to some happy, or fiery, afterlife.

His longing for revenge and insatiable rage was something that he had previously thought constant, but under his latest façade, he found them lessening slightly. Even though he was swathed in one of his most disgustingly false disguises yet, she had somehow found a way to worm her way around his mental armor to get under his skin.

The damn woman, who did she think she was? She was so trusting, kind, loving, beautiful, innocent. It almost made the man sick. Almost. Sweet intoxication had swept over him in waves whenever she was near, making him both fear and adore her. That woman had made him feel (for the first time in centuries) more like himself. The real him, not one of his many guises, but the man behind the mask, the man that he himself had begun to forget.

He nearly chuckled at that, he didn't even know himself at all, did he? Maybe this was his warped equivalent of a mid-life crisis? In all honesty, he didn't know what to call this. He had always been fast on his feet with manipulation, but she was manipulating him better and more completely than he cared to admit.

Was it love? Was it understanding? Was it kinship?

Who knew? Certainly not the person who was feeling this hopelessly tangled mess of emotions.

A wild cheer woke him from his reverie and the man stepped out into the crowd, careful to keep his face covered and head bowed. This was all he needed, all he wanted. He had bled and fought hard for this, her by his side. The peace that reigned supreme was testament to their struggles, and she the symbol of it; the innocent, beautiful creature that had calmed his heart. He had followed the rules, he had played the game of the one who controlled his fate, he had been the tragic hero that saved the day and then faded away into myth …

The man snorted, 'fading' being the operative word, _that _had been exceedingly hard to pull off, even for him, especially the falling off into thin air part. Being that it was just an illusion and quick sleight of hand, the hardest part had been pulling off the fall, he had to time it just right, too soon and he'd fall right down to the hard earth, too late and he fell all the same.

A wry smile twisted his lips, it was true that he really couldn't die, at least not completely, but he didn't fancy the idea of spending eternity in a million pieces, or splattered all over some sidewalk.

The smile faded, he hated lying to her. Her last words to him had been 'I love you'. Meaning that she loved the guise he donned. She loved a man that didn't exist, and never would. By the same token, he understood why they could never be together, seeing him as the creature he truly was would destroy her.

He was a liar.

Master manipulator.

Summoner.

Murderer.

Demon.

Devil.

Monster.

Abomination.

He was Tidus.

---

A/N: Please review! I want your opinions so I can make the story better!

Here's the deal: Review and I update. Don't review and I still update. Review and I update faster. Get it? … Got it … GOOD!

Be safe

Rose Northe


	2. Harsh Reality

**Disclaimer: **Characters belong to Square, Game belongs to Square, All copyrights thereof belong to Square, This Fan Fiction belongs to Me

Thank you for your review, Syncopative, I really appreciate the encouragement, here's the update you asked for!

Warning: Some of the content can be interpreted as Yuna-bashing, and it kind of is. Just want to let you know, I really do like Yuna, but I don't agree with the way she was portrayed in Final Fantasy X-2, and that has become a sort of launch-block for this story.

Wait! Don't stop reading! The entire story is not based on that (it would be just boring then, wouldn't it?). In fact, one of the main themes is coming to terms with people around you and discovering your own moral code … or something deep of that nature.

Whew, thanks for not pressing that 'Back' key up there. Please enjoy and please review, I want to know what to do to get better.

**Tears of a Forgotten Summoner Chapter 2: Harsh Reality**

Making sure the shabby cowl of his worn cloak hid his face properly, Tidus tilted his chin upward ever so slightly, trying to glimpse the woman that had captured the cold lifeless heart still beating within his chest. She wasn't there yet, he observed with a slight twinge of sadness. Someone jostled him, murmuring some rude comment about poor drunkards, then was gone as another filled the void left by the moving body.

Tidus stared after the person for a moment, how dare they call him a drunkard? Maybe it was the clothes, everyone here was in their finest and he must have looked like some homeless beggar. But even so, that one had no place to speak, especially considering that he had been boozing himself sick just an hour ago. The former guardian could smell it on his breath, could see the dulled reflexes, and his body language screamed that he thought himself superior to all.

The young man looked around at the others gathered, his concealed eyes burning through their masks and acts. After years of dealing with the people of Spira, he had picked up the ability to look through the guises those of this world donned.

Another ripple of cheers cascaded around the man and he looked up to see the High Summoner, the one woman that could calm his heart, that innocent girl he had known three years ago. One of the few humans that didn't make him want to turn around in disgust. The girl that wore no mask, the young woman that had so much kindness and decency.

His Yuna.

His eyes traveled from the platform she stood on to the girl herself … and froze.

It was different.

One thought dominated his consciousness: _Not her, this is not Yuna. It can't be._

What he saw wasn't lost innocence, for he saw that in himself every single day. What he saw wasn't Yuna, it wasn't that girl he had known and perhaps loved. No, it was a half-naked woman that simply _looked_ like Yuna.

His right fist clenched, the fingerless glove that covered it groaning with the strain and Tidus bit into his lip savagely, cold blood welling up and rolling down his chin. As much as he wanted to deny that this woman wasn't the girl he had known, his heightened senses wouldn't allow it.

That was Yuna, alright. A corrupted version, but yes, that was her. Her body language spoke of someone that had become arrogant, of one that had lost morals. His eyes narrowed, willing a true flash of insight to hit him, but he didn't need it to see further into what she had been doing. Sphere hunting, uncovering history for a price, people paid her to save villages, going on her own little crusade. Perhaps he had inherited a little of the Sight given to Seers and their minions, because there was no logical explanation to what he sensed and saw next.

Tidus's eyes widened as more of her exploits entered his mind. Shuyin and Lenne. She had destroyed her own Calm, those two would have rested eternally if she hadn't gone poking her nose where it didn't belong. If she hadn't provoked the fates then Vegnagun would have never reawakened. She believed that she sent them peacefully on their way to the Farplane. No, she toyed with fate, but that didn't matter to her, did it? She came out unscathed, her mind free of the guilt it should hold.

Rage flashed through Tidus, she had destroyed them both, their souls would have been safe. Sure, the Schism wasn't closed completely, it never would be, not after what happened in Zanarkand one thousand years ago, but it had been stable after Sin's passing. That was supposed to be the last task to stabilize Spira, the Three Sinners have entered eternal sleep at long last, and the tortured souls of those who had died in the Schism were resting peacefully, not on the wretched thing called the Farplane, but in heaven. Shuyin and Lenne had been happy, Yuna destroyed that and reopened the Schism.

It was only a matter of time until the Three Sinners returned and all hell would break loose.

Tidus gritted his teeth, as his eyes returned to Yuna's form. This woman had destroyed his brother's soul with her meddling, she would not be forgiven. He was vaguely aware of others around her, Rikku, a silver-haired woman all in leather, a white-haired man that looked to be a priest, and a blonde that could have been a clown in another life. There were others but the man didn't care because at that moment his eyes locked onto the symbol suspended between her barely covered breasts. The symbol of the Zanarkand Abes, or so she thought.

That symbol was his trademark. She wore it upside down like she had seen him do, but he only upended it when he was in disguise. His own hand came up to grasped the black symbol at his throat, her 'Zanarkand Abes' insignia turned the right way. This was the emblem of his temple, before the Schism ripped it into a million pieces, that is.

How dare she? That was the symbol Shuyin and Lenne had lived by as well, the symbol that she now wore to keep the strips of cloth from falling off and revealing the rest of her bust.

How dare she mock them? How dare she mock _him_?

This woman is the one he had allowed to leech off his summoning powers because hers were simply too weak to even gain her the first aeon. Well, the first bound aeon. The aeons have never regained their true form after the Schism and had to adopt the lives of those lost to even stay alive at all. The Fayth were never the aeons themselves, they were just tools, used by the Three Sinners to ensure that the world they ruined would find peace. The true aeons were entities that no summoner in the last thousand years could handle.

Tidus squeezed his eyes shut, this was what he was working toward all these years. He was told that Yuna would end the cycle and maybe even bring his tortured soul some rest. But no, he had died over and over, endured all that pain, never allowed himself to love or care, and almost destroyed himself for nothing.

His eyes snapped open as he heard the woman's laugh, probably at something one of her adoring fans said. The man felt his face contort with pure unbridled hate. That woman was just throwing dirt in his face, relishing her new position and the hoards of loyal grunts under her designer boots. He watched her walk closer to the end of the platform, flashing a winning smile, showboating shamelessly.

That. Was. It.

Tidus's right hand raised in front of him almost of its own accord and he snapped his fingers, invoking a small amount of magic, isolating it to one item, and releasing the energy as soon as his thumb touched his index finger at the close of the snap.

The symbol on Yuna's shirt erupted in flame, burning it up within seconds, but not spreading anywhere else. Tidus watched as the woman stumbled back, screaming in surprise. She need not have, the fire wouldn't burn her, in fact it was out before she fell to the ground, only leaving three scorch marks on the white strips of cloth that were her shirt, where the sign had been attached.

The crowd screamed in panic and started to stampede, the people on the platform doing the same. Tidus was the only person that wasn't in motion, in fact, he felt frozen.

He had lashed out at her. Tidus could hardly believe it himself, but he had. Even though she wasn't hurt and would only be stunned, that didn't change the fact that he had attacked her in a fit of rage. His hands were shaking slightly and he looked at them, one with a fingerless glove and the other encased in black armor to the shoulder.

_I could have killed her._

The thought came unbidden and he recoiled from it.

_I have the power. I could have struck her dead where she stood._

His hands stopped shaking and he balled them into fists.

_She deserves to die._

He looked up again as a passing person rammed into his shoulder at a dead run, knocking him back a bit.

_Do I … Do I want to hurt her? Do I want to kill her? Do I hate her? … Or love her?_

His eyes closed, everything he saw was too painful, he felt his very heart be ripped out and destroyed between the teeth of some beast.

_This … is a dream. It has to be. Just a nightmare. I will wake and she will still be that girl I knew. She will still be that pillar to my humanity._

Slowly, the tremors that shook his body quieted and the clenched fists relaxed, hanging limp by his sides. His cerulean eyes opened again and he watched the chaos, then turned from it, walking away noiselessly, going to a place he himself didn't know of yet. He would stay away forever where he could silently sink into madness, hoping that that would take away the pain.

_No, this is not a dream. This is reality._

---

A/N: I've been told that this story is confusing, and, well, it is, even to me. But don't worry! I know what I'm doing … maybe. Answers are coming, I promise. But if you are exceptionally confused, please review or send me a message, I'll be happy to help.

Be safe

Rose Northe


	3. Gullwings

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything. Happy?

Thanks again to Syncopative and Feathered Wolf, your reviews and opinions keep the story going.

**Tears of a Forgotten Summoner**

**Chapter 3: Gullwings**

"But will Yunie be ok!"

_I'm fine, Rikku. Stop gushing over me._

"She'll be fine, I'm sure. Her skin wasn't even burned by that fire."

_Right, exactly what I said. Wait, what fire?_

Yuna's eyes opened slowly, then blinked furiously in response to the overabundance of light that streamed from the windows of the Celsius.

"Too … bright," the High Summoner managed, her tongue felt like a huge cotton ball and her own voice surprised her.

"You're awake!" Rikku's face came into view, a worried expression plastered over her normally smiling countenance.

"Wh-What happened?" Yuna tried to get up, but found that Paine held her firmly down.

"You mean you cannot recall?" said silver-haired woman remarked, a slight tone of surprise evident in her tone.

The young woman thought for a few moments, trying to remember. She had been standing on that platform in … Luca, she believed. Yes, it was Luca. She remembered being invited there by Baralai and Gippal. Evidently she was a major morale boost where ever she went, especially in regions that were undergoing political reconstruction following Sin and the more recent Vegnagun (when people put it like that, you can't very well say no). Yuna recalled being shocked by the turnout, it definitely felt good to be appreciated, and in the midst of that, Rikku had made a crack at some person, or object, an obscure remark even said girl probably wouldn't be able to recall, she remembered distinctly that she had laughed. And then…

Blank. Her mind had just shut down seemingly of its own accord.

Again, she attempted to get up, this time not hindered by her well meaning friend, and noticed immediately that her shirt gave more easily than usual. For a moment, she wondered at the phenomena but then her hand flew to the symbol of the Zanarkand Abes, or rather, where the symbol had been.

Her slow ascent then became a hurried bolt. Now it came to her, she had been attacked, one moment she had been observing the people gathered in Luca, and the next thing she knew that insignia—_his_ insignia—had burst into flames. It had been terrifying, she could feel the flames' heat, a burning sensation filled with the promise of further agony.

Yuna had been hit with fire before, in fact, many times during the last three years, and never before had she been as scared as she had been today. Although the fire had not actually injured, or even touched, her in any way, it seemed somehow different than anything she had ever experienced. The magic was the same, and, even though it was uncommonly powerful and precise, had no extra kick to it, no extra enhancing aspects that half-bit wizards usually employed. That fire and the reasoning behind it did not carry the empty bloodlust of a fiend or the arrogance of one seeking power. The fire was pure and decisive, containing the emotions of the caster.

It was hatred.

Closing her eyes, Yuna allowed herself to lean back onto the bed once more, waving away Rikku's concerned questions when they inevitably noticed her regression back into the comfort of the bed. Only now was the reality really sinking in. The girl had almost _died_. And, yet, she was somehow miraculously spared. Without a single doubt, whoever used that magic could have killed her in an instant, but that left only one question in its wake.

_Why hadn't she died at that instant?_

"Oh! It makes me so mad! Who'd do a thing like this!" Rikku's voice brought the High Summoner out of her reverie at the speed of light.

"Yes, could it have been a remnant of Vegnagun?" Paine's voice joined in.

"No," Yuna was shocked to hear herself speak, as she braced an elbow beneath her back to raise herself into a semi-sitting position to better see her two friends. "It was … a grudge."

"A grudge?" the silver-haired woman inquired. "Who would hold a grudge against us now? And one urgent enough to act upon? No one comes to mind."

Yuna shook her head as she swung her legs over the edge of the bed to stand, but paused before letting her feet touch the ground, "I don't know."

Rikku was almost shaking in anger, her hyperactive mind in high gear, "Why now! Just when we finally achieve peace for Spira, some new madman magically crops up to face us!"

"When will it end?" Paine chimed in, for once in total agreement with the bouncy blonde, but then promptly seemed to forget her existence as she directed a question to Yuna, "Were you able to sense anything else? Emotions? Maybe a motive or identity?"

Yuna's eyes closed as she racked her mind for anything that could be of use. There was something beyond that initial sea of hate, and instinctively she knew that this creature, her attacker, was something more than just a mass of hateful emotions. "That fire … in it there was hate and rage, and murderous intent, but …" Her voice seemed to die away little by little, her throat seizing up as if it had lost the ability to convey messages. A hand came habitually up to touch _his _symbol, but instead meeting with one of the three scorch marks that were the only indicator that something had been there.

A few moments passed as the warrior waited for an answer, even Rikku calmed down enough to think and listen in earnest.

"But … what, Yunie?" the Al Bhed asked cautiously, as if worried that she would injure her friend.

Yuna's eyes opened, "But there was also sorrow, and pain, and hope … and affection …"

"And affection?" Paine echoed, disbelief etched all over her slender face. "You mean love?"

"That's ridiculous, Yunie," Rikku stated in a rare display of logic. "How can a fire aimed to hurt you be filled with hope and affection? The pain and hatred I can understand, but love?"

"I know it sounds crazy … but it's true. That's what I felt."

Rikku was silent for a few moments, seemingly thoughtful, "Are you sure … you didn't hit your head on the way down?"

Yuna made a face and stood, her body now fully awake and ready for anything the world might throw at it (except for more fire, to be sure). Steadying herself, the young woman made her way to a small mirror that hung on the wall, a fairly recent addition to the décor.

As much as it pained her to see the small charred spots where her love's symbol had once resided, something had to be done about it. Left as is, her shirt would open anytime she made a sudden move, not a desirable thing in polite society, to be sure.

Reaching into a nearby drawer, Yuna retrieved a needle and some black sewing floss, once again lacing the two white strips into a workable form. She sighed, it certainly wasn't perfect and by no means was she talented enough to recreate the former symbol, but at least her shirt wouldn't fall off now. Turning away from the mirror, the young woman placed the sewing materials back in their rightful place, blessing Paine who had insisted upon having extra supplies.

"So, what now?" Rikku inquired, breaking the uncomfortable silence with the question everyone was thinking of, but too timid to say.

The High Summoner sighed again, "What can we do? The … My attacker is long gone and lost in the crowds of Luca, while we're here in—"

"Kilika. We're currently flying over Kilika," Rikku chimed in, accompanied by an affirmative noise from their silver-haired comrade.

Yuna nodded, but kept silent.

"Should we look for your attacker?" Paine asked, taking a seat on the now vacant bed.

The High Summoner shook her head, "We have nothing to go on at this moment, it would be … foolish to try pursuing some ghost now."

"Then where is it you wish to go?" a polite masculine voice questioned from behind them.

All three turned at the same instant, their gazes locking onto Baralai and Gippal, the former wearing a thoughtful frown, and the latter leaning easily against a wall, trying to look unperturbed, but failing miserably to hide the concerned look that creased his face.

Yuna looked down at her hands, "Home. I want to go home. To Besaid."

---

**A/N: **Third chapter done.

Like? Not Like? Hate? Not Hate?

Please let me know. Save a few of my brain cells, please review.

Be safe,

Rose Northe


	4. The First Sinner

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. All rights go to Square.

Thank you to Syncopative, Feathered Wolf, and Dead Pollen, your reviews, once again, are the reason this story is continuing at all.

Revised and edited, I reread it and decided to change a few things, please tell me what you think.

**Tears of a Forgotten Summoner**

**Chapter 4: The First Sinner**

The small plateau-like outcropping of rock was high enough that few fiends found their way anywhere near it, and secluded enough that one could search for years and not find it.

In a word, it was perfect. A little lonely and bitterly cold, but suited to its first visitor's purposes well enough. The dull black rock was characteristic of the passages between the Zanarkandian Ruins and the Gagazet Mountains, and sported a slight dusting of snow.

Tidus let his cloak fall from his limp hand, the gray material wafting doggedly to the ground, but he paid it no heed as he strode to the edge of the outcropping, looking out over the frigid ocean.

The garments that adorned his body now were dramatically different than any of his disguises. Instead of the overall jumpsuit ensemble he had worn when he first met Yuna, he now sported worn black pants made of a sort of rough, almost canvas like, material. The trousers were fairly tight about the waist and hips, then loosened out until just past his knee where it was gathered tight against his shin, bound by sparse white straps. Perhaps he had done that to allow for leg greaves, and in fact, his left leg did carry a slightly rusted black greave which was buckled at the back of his calves and strapped to his soft leather shoe. The right armored guard was mysteriously missing and the cloth was just tucked into a mismatched short dark leather boot.

A sword belt held his pants in place, a thin dark scabbard holding a katana-like blade on his left side while the same type of dark armor adorned his right hip. His dark shirt was long sleeved and painfully plain, just stark black with a silver line running from throat to the end of the shirt, crossed by two black straps which ran from a fastener at each shoulder to his waist, where they were fastened again. On the back of his shirt was the only real decorative pattern excluding the symbol dark symbol on the choker around his neck and the replica of the insignia dangling from one ear. Red dragon wings had been sewn in great detail, splashed across his shoulder blades.

If one looked hard enough, those wings looked almost real, as if, at any moment, they would separate from his shirt and fly away, but that feeling was lessened now because all his clothes were faded and worn, gray patches appearing on black surfaces, as if the dye was finally washing out.

His left arm was totally encased in black armor to the shoulder, a common precaution for fighters, but, somehow, it didn't seem to be there to guard against attack, or bruising, or even paper cuts. In fact, it seemed to be there to hide something, perhaps a terrible injury or embarrassing wound.

Tidus's features were still the same as they always had been, but his skin was lighter and his eyes were perhaps a few shades darker. His hair had been left to grow as it would in those three years he had been away, now reaching mid-back in tapering, glossy locks. Altogether, he looked an older, more mature version of himself, if not a little on the dark side.

A grim smile twisted his lips as Tidus looked out into the dark horizon, seeing gently swirling clouds, a sure sign of wind on the rise. Probably from Zanarkand.

Tidus sighed slightly, "The wind comes with the promise of trouble. How will you handle this, High Summoner?"

---

The sand beneath Yuna's boots gave easily as she strode down the well-trodden path to the beach. It was a typical Besaid morning, warm, clear, absolutely perfect. In fact, a little too perfect for her taste at this particular moment. Everything was the same around her, life dragged on as always, and, even though she felt different, isolated, it seemed to have no effect on anything or anyone else.

The sun was out, the sky was blue. The weather was perfect, just like always, why couldn't it just rain for once? That might shake things up for sure. Nothing ever changed here, and well, maybe things should change. Was life really meant to be this monotonous and empty?

With a sigh, Yuna settled herself on the white sandy beach and stared out at the waves. Wakka had told her the Tidus came from the sea, he just appeared one day, walked easily into their world. And Yuna's heart. She would never forget him, no matter how much her friends and former guardians said that she must in order to find happiness.

She looked away from the brilliant blue, why couldn't they just understand that all she wanted was him? Yuna would never be happy otherwise.

A happy shout brought the woman out of her reverie and she cast a glance in the direction in which it had come.

Near the other side of the beach, several children were running to the shoreline, their mothers not far behind. Catching sight of the High Summoner, of course, they bowed, it was only natural.

Yuna only wished it wasn't.

But now that they had, it was only polite to acknowledge them, as much as Yuna would have liked to be invisible at that moment, she couldn't just ignore them. So, blessing the distance that made it impossible for them to see the discomfort on her face, Yuna performed the traditional prayer to Yevon.

Yuna sighed a bit as she walked back up the path, past the jovial people, toward the village once again. She walked in silence, looking at the women's modest attire and feeling somewhat ashamed.

After Sin was defeated, Rikku decided to try a new style, and Yuna, not wanting to be left out, went right along with it. And now, as Yuna recognized with more and more frequencythat the people of Spiraseemed more willing to show their 'wild side'. All because the High Summoner had done it.

The young woman sat on a grassy patch near the village, looking out to the sea. She was Spira's role model. But how was that possible when Yuna herself didn't know if what she was doing would better Spira. She was constantly on display.

Yuna hated it.

She had saved the world twice and she was only twenty now. How many more times would she have to save it until it stayed safe? Expectations got higher, and her ability to get it all done got lower.

Speaking of which, it was curious how everything had happened so fast in her latest crusade for peace. Everything started with that sphere of Shuyin and had spiraled faster and faster after that, one thing after another. Sometimes Yuna wondered at it, maybe if she hadn't found that sphere nothing would have happened. Maybe, if she had done nothing, Vegnagun wouldn't have awakened. Was she just trouble to Spira? Was what she was doing really the wrong thing for Spira?

The woman looked up at the sky and smiled slightly, sadly.

"Now, what would you say to me?"

She closed her eyes, would her Tidus think that she was justified, or tell her that she was going too far?

The smile faded from her lips.

Tidus.

She had done tasks, that, by all rights, no human should be able to accomplish, killed Sin, destroyed Vegnagun, maintained peace again and again, and still she was not able to save the only man she would ever love.

Should she give up? Keep going? Was he ever going to return?

All leads were exhausted, the man she thought to be Tidus had been Shuyin, and the Gullwings were officially out of ideas. But, if he wasn't coming back, why had she heard him and seen the outline of his form on the Farplane? Was he really there? Or was it just an illusion of what she _wanted_ to see? If he was real, was he trying to tell her something? Maybe to keep searching … or to forget.

She shook her head, attempting unsuccessfully to rid herself of that ugly thought, then she stood up quickly and whistled. A clear sound that would have made her Tidus smile. Yuna herself smiled a little at that, maybe if she whistled long and loud enough, it would reach him and he would tell her what to do. Maybe he could help her to stop feeling so lost.

Feeling a little better, Yuna took her place again on her patch of slightly mussed grass, looking out at the horizon. It was bright with the midday sun, the water reflecting the light just perfectly to make a sort of soft blue aura around the whole island. Beautiful and peaceful. But Yuna's thoughts were anything but peaceful at that moment.

She had been openly attacked in Luca, and while no one had claimed responsibility for the attack (Gippal swore up and down that they would be the first to know if anything was found), a person wouldn't attack another human being without some kind of reason. Who was this person? Why did they assault her in public like that? What would make them do such a thing?

And, most importantly, why did Yuna find it so hard to hate this mystery man?

---

"I tell you something is wrong," Rikku insisted, emphasizing her point with a small beat to the table.

Wakka shook his head, "We've got to let Yuna sort this out. A lot has happened in the last couple days, I'd want to be alone, too. Right, Lu?"

Lulu nodded, dropping a hand on her husband's shoulder, "Rikku, if you were attacked like that, would you be ready to let it go the day after?"

"Well, no …"

"Then let her deal with it on her own terms," Paine offered, leaning easily on the doorframe of Wakka and Lulu's household.

"I know, but—"

"No buts," Wakka said sternly, his year of being a father kicking in with full force of habit.

"But, she shouldn't be this sad!" Rikku exclaimed, desperate for her opinion to be heard.

"Shh!" Lulu scolded. "I just put Vidina down! If you wake him up I'll have you deal with him in the middle of the night!"

Rikku shut her mouth quickly and Paine couldn't help a weak chuckle, earning her a glare from the hyper Al Bhed.

Lulu sat down to her cup of hot tea with a sigh, "I know you're worried, we all are, but we can't rush this. Yuna must deal with this on her own terms, in her own way—"

The blonde girl opened her mouth, attempting to cut in.

"—without any help from us," the older woman finished pointedly.

Paine sighed, "You don't think we don't want to go out there and comfort her, too?"

Rikku looked away, "I know, but …"

"But what?" Wakka asked. "She's our friend too, ya?"

The girl got up and walked to the door, looking out through the door flap at the now brooding sky with a frown, "I _know_, but I've just got a really bad feeling …"

---

Yuna rose to her feet when the people from the beach rushed past her, shielding their faces from the wind that whipped violently through the trees. Her half skirt fluttered out in front of her, the once pleasant breeze picking up more and more speed.

She looked up, the sky was now dark and ominous, clouds covering every exposed piece of blue there had been. Well, she got her wish, the weather changed.

A palm frond came tearing from the sea, hitting her exposed leg with surprising force and Yuna couldn't help crying out a little.

Maybe it was time to seek cover …

But this didn't make any sense. Was it not sunny just a few minutes ago? What was behind this strange weather?

Yuna looked out to the formerly calm ocean, not seeing the beautiful sparkling blue water, but dangerously high grey waters, churning endlessly in a very unfriendly fashion. Her bangs fell into her open eyes, causing her to blink furiously to rid herself of the stinging sensation that would linger for minutes after. It was time to go. Run now, ponder the mysterious change in conditions later.

Turning on her heel, the young woman sprinted down the hill, running wildly, arms about her face, trying to guard from any debris that might be flying about. She expected leaves, sand, maybe even small pebbles, but what she saw she would never have been able to predict in her lifetime, or in anyone else's.

A tornado. Right in her path.

Granted, it was a small one, not big enough to pick up any houses, or even a log for that matter, but she had no doubt that it could easily throw her into some hard surface, maybe even suck the air from her lungs. Needless to say, Yuna didn't feel like suffocating or breaking her neck today.

The young woman blinked furiously, telling herself that she was seeing an optical illusion, not an honest to goodness tornado, but it was still there every time she opened her eyes. A thick little whirlwind maybe a few feet taller than she was, colored by the dust and leaves it had managed to pick up thus far, throwing band after band of brutal winds at its awed audience.

Suddenly, the mass of winds seemed to open up, becoming translucent to the High Summoner, showing her its inner workings. Yuna would have gasped if she weren't afraid to open her mouth. Right in the middle was a puddle of darkness, tendrils reaching out like smoke from a candle, some plastered to the ground, others free floating striving to grow beyond its current bounds.

Yuna unconsciously started to back away, not noticing that the winds were increasing in ferocity and speed. A silent scream formed on her lips as the darkness molded itself into a recognizable form.

A human body.

Slowly, the black covering peeled away, giving way to red clothes and a familiar countenance.

Faced with a ghost, Yuna could only think to say one word.

"Auron."

---

A/N: Well, what'd you think? Please, please, please, please, please, please review! (do you get the hint yet?)

Yes, I do suffer from chronic writer's block. It's a nasty disease, and yes, I have had a recent flare up, but not to worry! With the help of a witch doctor, exorcist, and two boxes of chocolate, I'm back to writing again!

Rose Northe


	5. The Second Sinner

**Disclaimer: **I have never, and will never own Tidus, Yuna, Wakka, Lulu, Rikku, Paine, Baralai, Gippal, Auron, Shuyin, Lenne, Kimahri, Jecht, Yu Yevon, or any of the other extras, NPCs, or major characters I just forget to mention. They all belong to Square. I just own the plot of this story.

Thank you to Syncopative, as always, you keep the story going.

Please review! Do you like this story? Hate it? Indifferent? Do you wish I'd do something better concerning the story? Please tell me, if you don't, then I won't know how to write so that you'll all like it. So please, please review, I really want your opinions.

Sorry for the comparatively long wait, I had a few problems fleshing out the chapter this time, so please let me know if it sounds forced, any suggestions are appreciated very much.

**Tears of a Forgotten Summoner**

**Chapter 5: The Second Sinner **(bet you didn't see that one coming, did you?)

Tidus closed his eyes and looked away from the sea as another gust of wind ruffled his bangs.

He sighed slightly, "So it begins."

A slight whining reached his ears, and the man turned, unafraid of the fiend he saw standing there. It was a wolf, a rather large one, too, with thick gray fur and jaws that looked to be able to crush bones, if not swords. But now this proud creature did not look quite so fearsome, in fact, it looked to have inherited the fear that Tidus should have felt at its presence. A sorry sight it was, to be sure, its fur sticking up everywhere in a nervous reaction, its tail between its hind legs, and head lowered in submission.

Sighing again, Tidus held out his right hand, enticing the canine-like fiend toward him. The creature responded immediately, slinking obediently to the man's side, sitting back on its haunches. Tidus allowed the animal to lean against his leg, the man's right hand tracing invisible patterns in the thick fur.

Tidus couldn't blame the wolf. It knew what was coming, it knew that Schism was near, and obviously it knew to be afraid of that coming.

Poor creature. A fiend, condemned to be feared by all.

The hypocrites had no idea what was really going on.

They were _making_ fiends by sending them to the Farplane. They weren't saving anyone, only twisting their souls. Tidus shook his head, they didn't even know what they did. The people of Spria didn't know they were keeping a piece of Schism alive, they didn't know that their sacred rituals were started centuries ago by the Sinners to appease Schism's fury.

Spirans had no idea that Schism had turned so many of their own people into fiends a thousand years prior, they had no clue that now their Sending opens a small fissure in Schism's sleep, enough to send a little of its presence through and expose those Sent to its being, in the process making them fiends.

They didn't know. It wasn't there fault. They were not to blame.

Wrong.

It pissed Tidus off how corrupted this world has become, and it was only going to get worse because of the ignorant sheep-like people of Spira. He would have done anything to return this world to its original form, but there was nothing he could do about that now, at least, nothing he knew to do.

The fiend beside him flinched violently as a fat drop of water splattered on its snout. Tidus looked at it lazily as more water followed the first raindrop.

Wind summoned the water. Go figure.

"Rain comes with the guarantee of destruction," Tidus lifted his head slightly, enjoying the feel of the water on his cold skin. "How will you take this, Summoner Yuna?"

---

"Hello, Yuna," Auron broke the silence between them, his soft words somehow reaching her above the howling wind.

"B-But …" the shocked silence had dissipated, but that didn't mean that Yuna knew what to say. The absence of words between the Summoner and her guardian should have lasted until she herself was dead and gone, but here he was. Alive, seemingly solid, judging that he was blasted with leaves and sand, the same as her.

"But?"

"Y-You're …" a hand came up to point at him.

"Dead? Yes, I know," the man's voice was painfully polite, dripping with sarcasm. "Thank you so much for reminding me, I had forgotten."

"But …" Yuna's voice was barely louder than a squeak and she was ashamed of it, "how? …"

He simply smiled at her, an eerie twist of the lips that made a shiver run up the girl's spine.

A slight sprinkle of rain started to fall, carried on the violent winds.

"It certainly is happening fast …"

Yuna stared at him as if he had just risen from the grave … Bad analogy. But despite that, Auron didn't seem to notice, in fact, it was as if he had forgotten she was there in the first place.

" … There must've been a catalyst for Schism to appear."

"S-Schism?"

Auron's uninjured eye met her bi-colored ones, staring her down, "Yes, Schism."

"What is Schism?"

The smile returned to Auron's lips, chilling her to the bone, "You will know soon enough."

Then the heavens opened up and rain poured down on them.

---

Cid allowed himself a self-satisfied grin as one of the new recruits scrambled away, bowing constantly, mumbling incoherent apologies. The man shook his head, his grin turning into a smirk, it was always good to start off the day with some constructive criticism, helped get the blood pumping and, well, needless to say, that crew member wouldn't be so negligent with his deck swabbing anymore. Kills two birds with one stone, always a good way to accomplish tasks, in his opinion.

He sighed slightly, he had a full crew, busy with new shipping runs that Baralai, Gippal, and Nooj had given him, and being paid quite a bit for his trouble. His daughter was successful and was out of his hair, his niece right along with her.

In short, life was good, and aside from the unseasonably strong winds tossing his ship about, this was shaping up to be a great day.

His long strides took him to the bridge, as per his everyday routine, pride building up as he watched his crew snap to attention at his presence.

Cid held out a hand as he walked to his position near a glowing navigational sphere in the middle of the room, expecting the normal multi-page report of progress. His self-satisfied smile surfaced again as he felt the parchment brush his fingertips as the officer handed it to him. He leafed through it, skimming the figures that appeared on the page. The pattern of numbers and letters were in the regular order, everything looked in its place. Perfect.

Cid leaned forward slightly to study the navigational sphere, a finger tracing the path they would take, the other hand toggling the view settings so that he could see individual measures.

If his maps were right (they've never been wrong before, so why should that change?), they should be clipping the Zanarkandian ruin's outskirts within the hour, then proceeding right along the Gagazet Mountains, through the Calm Lands, over Macalania Forest, to arrive at Bevelle at approximately twelve o'clock the next morning. Two hours after they had been expected to pull in.

The Al Bhed frowned, they were behind schedule and it simply wouldn't do to be late on their first run to the headquarters of the now united forces of Baralai, Gippal, and Nooj's factions, in fact, it would be downright disgraceful. His fingers flew over the touch-board at the base of the blue sphere, reentering coordinates, adjusting the flight path.

One of his officers glanced over at his Captain, interested as to what needed so much attention, but didn't have a chance to get a very good look for Cid straightened at that moment, a contented smile on his face.

Seeing his obviously curious employee, Cid made a small grunt, a sign for him to tell his concern and get it out in the open. But before the officer could even open his mouth, Cid had already forgotten him in favor of announcing the changes to the entire bridge.

"In checking our flight path, men, I have found a slight discrepancy," Cid folded his arms behind his back, and allowed his eyes to slid over every person in his presence, seemingly talking to every one of them individually, one of the man's specialties.

The crew exchanged bewildered looks, the plan had been fine the morning before … Well, before their captain had taken that unscheduled stop at Bikanel because he claimed he had found a genuine treasure map …

"It seems if we continue on this course, we will arrive at our destination too late, and thus I have shortened one of the loops we will be flying this morning."

The original officer crept forward a little, behind Cid, trying to get a good look at the revised flight plan …

"Instead of flying past Zanarkand—"

"We're flying over it!" the officer nearly shrieked.

A murmur ran through the bridge's crew members, disapproval crackling through the air. Contrary to popular belief, it wasn't bad luck to fly over Zanarkand, no, walking under a ladder or spilling salt was bad luck. Flying over the cursed ruins was something more along the lines of karma suicide.

Cid observed the reaction calmly, trying to take into account that these were Al Bhed that had never, until recently, been away from Home before. It was quite a shock and Cid understood completely, even though he had lived outside of Home for most of his life.

He sighed, no matter how they tried to avoid thinking about it, the reality was that they did lose Home, and many of their people with it. And that wasn't the worst of it, only the beginning. Without their city, thousands of penniless Al Bhed were displaced into the world, most with absolutely no where to go. Hundreds starved, many more died of exposure in the deserts surrounding their Home.

In this way, Cid was glad to train these misplaced people meaningful skills, a way to survive and eventually support themselves…

…But still, he wished that they'd be just a little less superstitious.

Sin was gone, defeated by the new High Summoner, peace will now reign supreme in the Eternal Calm. The threat of Vegnagun is year old news, a threat destroyed yet again by the High Summoner. Everything was finally getting back in order; people were picking up the pieces of their lives and were moving on.

When would they learn that there was nothing to fear?

---

Rikku jumped slightly as a stray drop of rain fell onto her bare arm, chilling her to the bone. She looked out the window, still lounging about Wakka and Lulu's house, unable to sleep the hours away or get anything that took an ounce of concentration to do. Paine, Lulu, and Wakka had long since left the room, preparing dinner and caring for Vidina. But still the teenaged Al Bhed could only think of her cousin, waiting endlessly for her to show up at the doorstep, laughing and aplogizing for her tardiness, perhaps with wild leaf filled hair due to the wind.

True, the villagers that had visited the beach had come back unscathed, just a little windblown and spooked, and Yuna was a big girl. She had saved the world twice from utter devastation, for crying out loud. She'd be fine.

Right?

At a loss for what to do along with the twitches running up and down her nervous system, Rikku started sporadically rapping the tips of her fingers on the doorframe. She had opened the door itself just a few cracks, observing the increasing water flow from the skies, in fact, if this kept up, Besaid might have its first ever natural flood.

Rikku shook her head, it didn't make any sense, it hadn't rained like this in Besaid for decades, perhaps centuries. In fact, in pretty much all regions of Spira, the weather seemed to be fixed, sunny or dark, warm or cold, calm or, Rikku shivered slightly at the thought, thundering. Why now was the climate suddenly changing?

Something was wrong, that's why. Rikku could sense it acutely, something was definitely not right with this.

Unable to stand it any longer, the girl pushed the door open, fighting against the wind outside.

"Going out?"

In that incriminating position, Rikku would have started at any voice, no matter who, and that was exactly what she did, jerking violently upright and jumping from the door. The girl whirled to meet whoever had caught her in the action of disobeying direct orders from Wakka and Lulu, trying desperately to make up a plausible excuse, and was met with Paine's slightly amused face.

"You didn't answer my question, Rikku. Are you going out?"

If Rikku hated anything more than thunder, it had to be trick questions.

The Al Bhed's mouth worked furiously for a few moments, until Paine held up a hand.

"It's alright, you don't have to answer, I know what you were doing."

Again, the younger girl's mouth opened and closed without any voice, looking remarkably like a fish, but the silver-haired woman seemed to get the general gist of what Rikku wished to say.

"But don't worry, if I were to drag you back to Wakka and Lulu, I would have to drag myself as well. Let's go find Yuna."

Rikku nodded emphatically, and together, two thirds of the Gullwings ran out into the rain to find their leader.

---

Cid wasn't sure what woke him up from his light nap in his quarters. It might have been the whistling wind, or the constant thrumming of rain on the hull of his airship, or maybe it was the fact that beyond outside influences, the ship had gone completely silent and the air hung heavy and stagnant in his cabin. Whatever it happened to be, he sensed immediately that something wasn't right.

The man rose, taking the time to glance at a small time-keeper he kept with his belongings, he had slept barely an hour. Mentally, he cursed his lax routine, if he had been more vigilant and hadn't insisted on a nap, he would have already known what was going on. He stalked to his door, waiting for the hiss that signaled the door opening to let him out.

It didn't come.

Puzzled, Cid punched a code in the small touch-board, but got no response. The man's brow furrowed partly in agitation, partly in worry, there must've been interference on a massive scale to affect the ship's features in this fashion. Cid could only hope that it came from a benign source.

After briefly rubbing his hands together, the man grasped small grooves cut into the smooth surface and started to pull, putting his entire body behind his hands, prying the door open inch by inch.

Not wasting time, Cid jogged easily down the unusually dark halls of his airship. The lack of light didn't bother him as much as it did others, though, he knew this ship top to bottom and backwards, it would be a good many years until he was unable to find his way from his cabin to the bridge.

The door to the bridge required the same treatment as the one in his cabin, but with some physical persuading, he was granted admittance to the control center of his ship. The first thing he noticed, ironically, was that the brilliant blue navigational sphere was flickering like a lightbulb with a short. But, even more unusual than that, none of the crewmembers were moving at all, they just stood in their places, shaking and staring.

Cid moved swiftly to one of the seated crew, shaking the girl's shoulder briskly, "What's wrong! What's going on? Answer me!"

It was a few moments until she turned slightly to meet his gaze, two glistening tear streaks on her face, "I-I knew we shouldn't h-have taken that p-path…"

He snarled slightly, knowing full well that he would be getting nothing meaningful from her at this time. Cid stalked quickly to the officer in charge steering for this shift, observing the same stunned expression on the man's face.

"Speak up, man! What's wrong?"

Slowly, the man took one stiff hand from the wheel and pointed toward the main viewport ahead, Cid following his gaze to lock upon the dark, all encompassing clouds that seemed to be cradling the ship.

The elder man sighed, sure, it was hard to get used to live in the clouds, but this was ridiculous. He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples, turning back to his officer, then regretted the taking time for the action moments later when shrieks rose from his crewmembers.

"It's the cursed ruins!"

Cid whirled in time to see some of the clouds clearing, and instead of the clear mid-evening sky he expected to see, he saw a nightmare.

Zanarkand was wrapped in darkness, a pool of that same eerie blackness beneath it. Large bands were peeling off, reaching up into the sky, flailing for something to hit.

Cid stood in awe for a moment, "I'll be damned… It really is cursed…"

His crewmembers only whimpered, a prelude to 'I told you so' if Cid had ever heard it.

The ship sailed sluggishly along its predestined course, right up close and personal with the dark bands. For a moment before Cid could gather his wits, he only stood there, watching in horror, but that soon passed as his ship rocked violently, as the darkness neared, shaking Cid out of the siren-like trance.

"Come on! Move! Turn the ship!" Cid's own voice sounded foreign to him, a desperate plea in that hung unanswered in the thick air.

Cid growled slightly in annoyance, pushing his officer roughly away, taking the wheel and yanking it violently to the side, making the whole ship shudder and groan, but the gears seemed frozen in place and the rudders only responded partway. The ship turned, preparing to flee, just in time to get caught in the back with one of the columns of darkness, hurled forward with unimaginable force.

The man gritted his teeth, trying desperately to steady the ship, but it was no good, they were heading away from darkness, but they were out of control.

Clouds blinded the path as Cid wrestled with the controls, but the rudders didn't respond at all. Time seemed to stop and the man became painfully aware of everything around him, from the dry feeling of his eyes, to the roaring in his ears, to the sweat he could feel on his palms. The clouds opened up, and he saw that mid-evening sky he had wanted, that and the beautiful glistening sea…

The sea that was heading for him at a dizzying speed.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Cid was able to form words, "Brace yourselves!" He himself flattening against the unresponsive wheel.

There was a crash.

And then all went black.

---

Author's Note: Hello again, thank you so much for reading, I really appreciate it, and since you're here, please click that purplish-blue button down there and tell me what you think.

This was the longest chapter yet… Please let me know what you thought of the panic and action scenes, I'm notorious for either making them melodramatic or lack-luster, so please let me know how it turned out.

Please let me know if the plot is going too slow, or if you're confused, I'll be happy to take your advice and answer your questions.

Next chapter: The Third Sinner

Rose Northe


	6. Interlude of Storms

**Disclaimer: **… For the last five chapters I have told you that I do not own Final Fantasy, but now I will tell you that I STILL don't own it!

Thank you, Nikki of Spira, Warui-Usagi, Feathered Wolf, and Little Pyrefly, your reviews got me good and motivated to write this!

I'd just like to put out there that I have not played Final Fantasies X and X-2 in quite a while. So if you see any discrepancies when I write of the plots of either, please, by all means, let me know as soon as possible so I can fix it (last chapter I conveniently forgot the name of Cid's airship when I sat down to write about it --;).

Sorry the update took so long. I thought I had most things in my life under at least moderate control, but the moment I turned my back, a million little things went wrong, so I've been running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to fix it all … That's not a good excuse, but I hope this extra-long chapter will help make up for it!

Please enjoy.

**Tears of a Forgotten Summoner**

**Chapter 6: Interlude of Storms**

The fiend screamed as a bolt of lightning struck, scampering away as quickly as its feet could carry it, its thick fur bristled all over. But, despite the obvious terror of his companion, Tidus didn't seem concerned at all, in fact, he seemed quite content to keep standing in exactly the same spot. The wolf let loose a whine mixed with a growl, as if trying to warn the man of some imminent doom.

But Tidus already knew what was happening, he need not have been reminded.

Torrents of rainwater ran down the man's face as he turned slowly to observe the panicked animal and again, said fiend whimpered. Tidus strode toward it, but bent to pick up his cloak before he was close, clearing his throat slightly as if to speak over the rain.

"You should go, you don't want to be here when this reaches a peak."

His voice was soft, but the fiend seemed to understand and ran, ran for its life.

Tidus sighed as he wrapped the cloak about himself, the fabric barely warming his cold, wet body, but he didn't seem to care, returning to the cliff to stare out into the dark sky. The clouds swirled as if trying to make a tornado, water and dirt giving it color, the lightning wrapped about it like a sick sort of barberry's sign.

The man smiled a little, Schism was trying to come through. Tidus shook his head, at times like this he was forced to ask himself what Schism really was. It was still so early with no possibility for emergence, but still, like a savage animal, continued to butt its head against the wall.

Even though he himself had seen and been exposed to it, Tidus only knew what it had done, not what it really was.

Was it a mindless killing machine? An uncontrollable magic whose only purpose was to corrupt and destroy? The attack on Zanarkand certainly made it seem so.

But on the other hand, before the initial emergence, Schism had to have planned how it would gain a corporeal form, as briefly as it had then, but still. Was it one entity, or many? Could it think? Feel?

Tidus shook his head, as if to clear it, still, after all these years, he could not push back the curiosity about the being that had destroyed him. A wry smile stretched across his face, he would learn soon enough.

"The pawns are in place, the white rooks have arrived, trying to redeem their sorry lives by further corrupting their queen. The black bishop has come, out of control, driven only by its own instincts. The white knights and bishops stand ready to protect their queen. The black king stands ready to destroy all, even now directing his pawns."

He cocked his head slightly, the smile spreading, "The board is set up, white queen. You are the one who will move most across our world, but even you are not aware that you are being controlled by a much larger force. Poor fool."

Tidus looked out again, perhaps wondering if he was any better than the so-called 'poor fool', and sighed slightly, a barely audible sound.

"The storm brings tragedy," the man closed his eyes, shaking his head, water flying from the clumped tips of his hair, then his face, once again, took on an impassive expression. He held out one hand, as if offering a challenge, "Your move, Yuna."

---

When his eyes opened, Cid found nothing different than when his eyes were screwed shut. He had no idea how long he had been unconscious, it could have been hours, days, or even weeks and he would have noticed no difference.

He was vaguely aware of a slight throbbing in his left leg, but instead of fading, it just persisted, so like any sane person, the man twisted his body slightly extending his hand to touch the limb.

Colors burst before his eyes and the pain intensified, causing the man to gasp in spite of himself, a few curses making their way off his lips. If the debris scattered about him was anything to judge by, Cid would guess that something had fallen on his leg, or at least a part of it, but that was where the speculation ended.

The pain melded together seamlessly into a never ending drone of agony, enough to disguise his perception of what was really wrong with his limb. It could simply be stuck, could be fractured, crushed, broken, or even amputated, and the poor man had no idea how to tell the difference. Trying desperately to calm himself, something new came to the man's attention. Well, not something new, something that was mysteriously absent.

"Hey! Is anyone alive in here!" His voice sounded weak and fuzzy to his own ears and probably worse to anyone else. Cid shook his head to clear it, no use feeling ashamed now, he could do that later, but embarrassed or not, the man still listening intently for any sign of life.

And was greeted with stony silence.

Praying to any deity that the man could think of at that moment that his crew was simply knocked out or stunned by the fall, Cid inserted a hand into his pants pocket, pain lancing up and down his injured leg as his fingers brushed it ever so slightly. Finally, with a muffled gasp of triumph, the man withdrew his slightly squashed communicator, turning the scratched metal over in his palm.

The unit was beaten up almost beyond recognition, even before the crash it was that way, but now he only hoped that it could turn on at all. The screen was marred with a hairline fracture that split several times to branch all over the glass, making for a garbled view of anything that happened to be displayed, but when Cid pushed the power button it didn't matter much, he only saw the visual aspect of white noise.

He had to force down a groan of pain as his leg gave a throb, his perception of the small communication's unit blurring and distorting itself, the captain's consciousness lulling slightly into a state of half-sleep.

_No! Don't pass out!_

Cid's head snapped up and his eyes widened, that's right, he couldn't rest now. It would be days before anyone came looking for them, he had to get a message out, and so, with badly shaking fingers, the man punched in the code for a manual distress call, seeing as the ship's systems seemed to be failing badly. The unit fell the short way to the deck with a slight clank, as the captain's eyes again began to droop, and slowly, he let the darkness take him again.

He only hoped that the unit wasn't too badly damaged and was able to send it …

… And there was someone out there listening.

---

"Auron, tell me … tell me what's going on!" panic coursed through Yuna's veins as lightning flashed dangerously close to the island. She had no idea whether she should help the ghost to a safe location, or start shooting.

Said man surveyed her calmly, seemingly not caring about their current predicament, and answered her as if speaking to a child, "Bad weather."

Yuna bit her lip, drawing one of her guns and leveling it at him, "You know what I mean! You're dead! I Sent you! How are you still here!"

All traces of amusement left the man and his eyes gained a murderous, maddened glint that the woman had never seen before, "Someone is calling Schism … someone ruined all our work …"

"Ruined? Work?" Yuna shook her head violently as if to clear it. "I don't know what you're talking about!" The panic that had been building in her stomach boiled over and spread to the rest of her limbs, making her shake like a leaf, something she was quite ashamed of.

Auron looked over at her, instantly changing the subject with an idle comment that made the girl's skin crawl, "I'd get the people out of the village, if I were you."

"Why would I do that! … W-Why would I need to do that?"

Again that slight twisting of the man's lips made her shiver, "Schism is trying to emerge near here … it's a sort of triangle effect, I end up here, and the others are out in the ocean somewhere, I suppose, and Schism will try to emerge right in the middle."

The gun lowered almost of its own accord, "Emerge?"

"Gain corporeal form."

"In the ocean?"

"Yes, somewhere between here and Zanarkand, I suppose."

The wind howled through the break in conversation, the speed and ferocity increasing, at this rate, a typhoon was the least of their worries …

"What's going to happen to Besaid!"

Auron shrugged, "Schism most likely wishes to shy away from the ruins." He looked her in the eyes, "This island will be leveled."

If Yuna's cold hands hadn't already been grafted by nerves to her gun's handle, she would have dropped it.

"B-But—"

"Yunie!" Rikku stood a little ways up the path, bent over with her hands cupped around her mouth, as if she were putting her entire soul into the call.

"Yuna!" Paine's voice cut through the wind as she ran past her blonde companion, naked blade out and ready to cut down the man that their leader seemed so distressed by.

Auron turned slowly to survey the approaching threat, but didn't do anything to stop it.

"A-Auron!" Rikku squeaked, looking between Yuna and the dead guardian sporadically.

Paine, sensing that something was wrong, stopped short and looked Yuna in the eyes, "Auron? The guardian Auron? The one who died on Braska's pilgrimage?"

Said man looked at her, eyeing her distastefully, "Not completely accurate, but yes, I believe you're mostly correct."

Yuna stumbled forward a bit, a hand coming up as if to grasp the necklace at her throat, "Please, both of you, get everyone to the Celsius! We have to get out of here!"

Rikku straightened slightly, "What? Why the Celsius? We need to get to shelter, the Celsius is near the bay!"

"Then tell the villagers to get ready, and get the Celsius over here!"

The younger looked surprised, Yuna sounded almost panicked, shaken, but nodded, motioning to Paine, both confused Gullwings running back toward the village.

"You made the right decision, Yuna."

The girl looked back at her former guardian and shook her head. Was it right? Yuna really couldn't tell.

---

Lulu cradled Vidina closer to her chest as the creaking timbers around them groaned once again, causing the already fretting child to cry harder. She could sense painfully clear that even their house, constructed so sturdily, would not tolerate much more of this and Wakka had obviously seen that as well, because he was already stowing their most valued and essential items in a small pack.

The woman walked to him trying unsuccessfully to calm their red-haired boy, "Wakka, where should we go?"

Wakka closed his eyes, latching the case closed, "The northern caves maybe?"

She shook her head slightly, sadly, "No … the caves will not protect us for long."

"Then the temple?"

Again, the woman shook her head, "It's crumbling already … I don't think it safe."

Wakka gritted his teeth in a rare display of displeasure, his fists raising, then coming down hard on the wooden case, bringing forth a fresh set of tears from his son, "Then what can we do!"

Lulu shushed the child, laying a hand on her husband's back, "We'll do what we must, Wakka." She straightened, "But right now I'm more worried for the girls."

The man shook his head, "I knew we should have gone after Yuna … that reverse psychology crap never works."

His wife unconsciously held her child closer, "We did the right thing for her … love."

Wakka craned his neck to look back at her, his face softening. Lulu wasn't one for pet names, or any expression of familiarity, people who didn't know her would, of course, mistake this for a cold, unfeeling disposition, but that was in no way the case. As the red haired man had found, she was really a very warm person, just a little hard to get close to. But this wasn't a bad trait, in fact, it made all the small things she did for him so much more meaningful, and that's just the effect what her obviously fond words had on him, renewing his purpose.

Struck with an idea, Wakka turned to his wife, "The Cel—"

"The Celsius!" a voice screamed from downstairs, followed moments later by a very wet, out of breath Rikku. "You have to get to the Celsius right _now_!"

Lulu nodded to the girl, "We are already preparing. Please, go help the other villagers."

Rikku nodded, evidently heartened by their readiness, and darted off into the stormy night again.

Wakka scratched his head slightly, a little embarrassed, "She stole my idea, ya?"

---

Gippal paced slightly, gazing out the open air window at the brewing storm moodily. Reports were already streaming in from the Machine Faction about bad weather in all corners of the globe, some more severe than others, but all seemingly coming from the same source.

The blonde man sighed, similar reports from both Baralai and Nooj's divisions were coming in, they couldn't all be wrong, could they? One thing was for sure, this didn't bode well, not at all. And if the accounts were to be believed, it wouldn't be long until Bevelle was engulfed in the gloom of the infernal storm.

He shook his head, his arms first folding across his chest, then dropping to his sides only for his hands to clasp behind his back, a nervous reaction that belayed inner confusion. It didn't seem right, something just didn't fit. Maybe it was just his Al Bhed superstitions, but that tempest wasn't natural, he'd swear on it.

To top all this off, of course, there was one oddball problem in the bunch. Cid hadn't shown up on time, or even bothered to contact them.

"Inconsiderate," he mumbled slightly, leaning uneasily against a wall. Surely it was only that, nothing was truly wrong, right?

Gippal sighed, it was no use, something had to be done. A few strides and a room's length later, the man pushed open the double doors that led to where Nooj and Baralai were currently scheming, both men looking up at his arrival.

"Have you received anything from Cid?"

Baralai cocked his head slightly, "No …" the silver haired man sat back in his chair, surveying his comrade with something like bemused annoyance, "We have quite enough on our plates at the moment."

Gippal crossed his arms over his chest, giving the leader of the New Yevonites a cold stare, which prompted the man to sigh and speak again.

"Look, he's only two hours late, with all the bad weather, that's not so out of the question, is it?"

The blonde man scowled, but mostly because he didn't want to have to admit to his comrade's validity. Across the room, satisfied with his victory, Baralai went back to his paperwork, Nooj looking between them for a few moments before losing interest and poring yet again over the diagrams in front of him.

Gippal huffed a bit, and to disguise his desperate desire not to work that day, crossed to a small communication's unit he had ripped from one of his machina cruisers. He held the headphones to an ear, twisting knobs and pressing buttons, tuning into a normally inavtice channel, hoping for all the world that he looked like he was doing something useful.

As expected, white noise filtered into his senses, making him sigh slightly, white noise … there was only so long he could put up with it … but wait.

The man's eyes widened as a slightly garbled message came in, fading in and out at odd intervals. Furrowing his brow, Gippal listened for a few moments to the recording, Al Bhed words mostly, all jumbled together as if sent by a faulty device. He paid rapt attention just until he was sure he got the general gist of the message, then threw the headphones down, perhaps a little more forcefully than was necessary. But, in excess or not, it certainly attracted the attention of his companions, both looking rather annoyed at the disturbance, Nooj opening his mouth to express his irritation.

Gippal, not caring for courtesy at this moment, cut him off ruthlessly, "Cid just sent …"

---

" … a distress signal!" Brother nearly shrieked at the silver-haired woman that had just entered the Celsius's hanger, many hapless Besaidese in her wake.

Paine gave him a long-suffering look before pushing past him.

"Do you not care! Father …" Brother seemed to grope for the right words, finally settling on the caveman approach, "trouble … help … Now!"

Paine whirled, abandoning her task of directing the refugees for the time it would take to put the man in his place, "And you want me to do what about it now!"

The Al Bhed taken aback, probably thinking that she would be more cooperative, at the very least, "I … want you to help!"

The woman had to suppress the sudden urge to whack him upside the head, a hand balling into a shaking fist, "Besaid comes first. Only a quarter of the people are aboard now. We will go to your father when we can, is that understood?"

"But …"

"_Is that understood_?" Paine found slight satisfaction in the look of total terror that took over his face at her acid tone.

A grim smile twisted her lips as she turned back to the spooked islanders, calling over her shoulder, hoping that her flippant tone would hide her inner worry, "Beside, what about Rikku and Yuna? They're still out there, you know."

---

Rikku ran through the paths of Besaid, screaming out instructions, the muddy earth making it hard for the girl to keep on her feet. A crowd of people were already assembled at the entrance of the town, Lulu, Wakka, and Vidina among them, all there was left were several stragglers who refused to accept that they would die if they stayed.

"Go!" She shrieked at them. "Yuna's down the road! Get her to guide you to the Celsius!"

Wakka nodded, holding a hand up to guard against flying debris. The wind was again picking up speed, making for a rather spectacular and terrifying typhoon, it was all the man could do to stay on his feet, let alone walk, but somehow, he got the message across to the other villagers. The man turned one last time to the young woman, waving at her to show they understood, then they departed, moving slowly and huddled together, like so many rats trying to escape the flood.

Heartened slightly, she increased her pace toward the temple, anyone still left was likely to be there, she hoped, seeing as many of the houses were giving under the constant bombardment and were literally blowing away timber by timber. She was almost there…

She was so confused.

Why was Auron here? The legendary guardian had been Sent to the Farplane, wasn't that the end? How is it that he stands in front of them now?

The ground beneath her feet gave with a sickening squelch, the imbalance coupled with the harsh winds making the girl fall right on her rump, her whole body shaking with the chills her less than adequate clothes failed to ward off. She felt tears sting at her eyes and she beat her fist on the ground in a moment of frustration and utter dejection. It was always like this. But why? She tried her hardest, and still she almost lost Yuna on the summoner's pilgrimage and watched one of her best friends fade into thin air right before her, and now she couldn't even stay on her feet long enough to save those who needed her help.

She was so helpless.

Rikku scrambled to her feet, her legs aching with the strain as the adrenaline pumping through her veins lessened a bit, weighted down with heavy thoughts. The wind tossed her about like a small toy, her screams lost in the rush of the air. The cloth bandana about her head coming loose, and would have been long gone had her arms had not already been clamped about her skull.

Even though all her instincts screamed for her to stop, still she pressed forward, the entrance to the temple just in reach, the wind tossing the door open and closed in an eerie fashion, but she pushed through it as well, arriving in the temple, her legs finally giving out.

Sure enough, across the way, two people crouched, shaking in fear. The former guardian picked her way along the floor, crawling desperately toward the young woman and her male companion.

"It's alright," Rikku managed to croak, hoping fervently that her voice sounded more reassuring to them than it did in her own ears.

The woman cowered against the male, crying hysterically, Rikku frowned, surely she didn't sound that panicky …

"Come on, we're getting out of here," the girl said, trying to strengthen her voice as she rose to her feet and walking steadily over to the two.

When they made no move to get up, Rikku grabbed the man's wrist, pulling as hard as she could, making him stand by force. Deprived of some of the warmth she had been sharing, the young woman cried out a bit and hurriedly stood to be closer to the man.

Rikku took a deep breath and nodded as she saw that the two were now giving her their utmost attention, "The Celsius is standing by, if we can just get out of the village, everything will be alright. Will you help?"

The two looked at each other, obviously terrified at the prospect of leaving their beloved island, whether to save their own lives or not, and Rikku, impatient and starting to become a little scared herself, stomped her foot to bring their focus back to her.

"Either you help, or I will drag you off the island. When it's safe, I promise we'll bring you back here, but right now, any number of things could happen if you stay. This roof could collapse, you might drown, you could get blown away, or suffocate when this place is sealed."

The man opened his mouth, but the girl wasn't about to let him speak, "Do you understand me?"

The female stepped forward, still holding her companion's hand, the man looking at her in utter confusion, "Yes, Guardian Rikku, we are ready."

Rikku was taken aback, it had been over three years since anyone had called her 'guardian', and to be frank, it was a little disturbing … but she shook it off for the moment, "Good."

---

Yuna knew that she should be going to the Celsius now. She knew that in order to survive, she must, but, at that moment, she didn't care. Paine had passed by a little while ago, maybe half of the townspeople in her care and Rikku was still out there along with Wakka, Lulu, their baby, and the rest of her hometown, but she could only focus on one thing. She knew she was being selfish, that she should be out there helping all that she could, but she needed the truth, she needed it now. No games. No lies.

A dead man stood before as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and yet, the one she really wanted to see could not seem to rise from his sleep … She had to ask, there was no way around it.

"Auron," she began, stepping forward a bit so that her screamed plea was sure to reach him, "where is … where is Tid—"

The man cut her off as he turned away, "You will see … soon enough."

Yuna leaned forward further, "So he is alive?"

Auron looked back over his shoulder, surveying her with a surprisingly emotionless stare, "I never said that."

The High Summoner straightened, "If you didn't mean that, then what did you mean?"

A slight chuckle came from the former guardian, "Enough, Summoner Yuna. There are people who require your help."

As is he himself had summoned them, a mass of moving bodies made its way up the slope toward them, Wakka leading, both arms in front of his eyes to ward off debris.

Auron walked to the nearby cliff, not even looking back at her, "I will see you at your airship then."

Yuna realized what he was going to do just a mere split second before he did it, rushing over to the place the now falling man had just jumped from, her mouth open in horrified awe. But it wasn't long until she turned away to find Wakka struggling ever nearer to her, screaming something she couldn't make out. The girl shook her head, if she could pull herself together, maybe, just maybe, Tidus was waiting for her …

---

Paine felt a growl of displeasure grow in her throat as she stood just inside the hanger with no sign of Yuna or Rikku in sight. It was maddening.

She had already done her part, she had half the village crowded in and their luggage all in storage, and now she would only cause problems if she went out again. But still, they should have been back by now. All the instruments on the Celsius detected what the crew feared, the winds and water would continue their onslaught, and only get worse as time went on.

It was a phenomena that no one could have predicted, even Shinra was baffled at what had brought this on. This was the first time anyone had seen anything like this come up so fast, well, the first in recorded history.

The woman gritted her teeth, why did this have to happen now? They had defeated Vegnagun barely a year before and now they were to fight natural disasters as well?

Her fist connected with the closest sheet of metal and she whipped about to stare into the storm again, waiting for Yuna's silhouette to appear against the almost white haze, and as if by her will alone, a lone figure did appear, slogging through the semi-shallow water to where the Celsius was currently docked.

She almost whooped in spite of herself, reaching out a helping hand to the person and pulling when she felt their hand wrap about hers. But, instead of being greeted with the face of one of her fellow teammates, the face of that man Yuna had been talking to emerged from the gloom, staring at her with his one uninjured eye.

As soon as he was aboard, she dropped his hand and backed away, immediately distrustful of this man, whether he was Yuna's guardian or not, "Where is Yuna?" She demanded, a hand clenching in agitation, "And Rikku?"

Auron looked at her calmly and spoke with no emotion, "They are not going to make it."

---

The blonde Al Bhed pushed open the temple door, the two remaining Besaidese clinging to her as she moved forward. All around them, the houses that just this morning housed full families fragmented and blew away, trees were felled and at this rate the temple would not last much longer.

Determined, Rikku stepped off the stone foundation of the Temple of Yevon and straight into a good foot of mud that only served to further complicate her efforts. Lightning struck, igniting both a semi-standing house and her intense fear of it.

It finally hit her. She was scared, she was terrified.

Her, Yuna, Paine, and all of Yuna's guardians had done the impossible over and over again, but now there was honestly nothing she could see to do. The wind made it hard to move, the water stung her exposed skin, and the lightning kept her from thinking clearly.

The woman next to her gave an anguished cry and Rikku looked over at her, did she sense the same, did she know that there was nothing that the former guardian could do?

Rikku gritted her teeth, if she gave up now then it wasn't just her life that would end, they were helpless without her, and she'd be damned if she'd give up without a fight.

But with everything weighting the woman down, it was no wonder that when she tried to move forward she found that she could not.

She was frozen.

---

Yuna screamed instructions to the refugees, not knowing if they heard her or not, directing them with a wildly flailing arm, hoping that they understood.

She could barely move, but somehow found the strength to move forward, inch by inch, step by agonizing step. The villagers fared no better and Yuna knew all too well that they had not moved a long distance at all.

At this rate, they'd never make it to the Celsius.

The thought came unbidden to her mind and she tried to shake it away, but it persisted, like a poison, draining the hope from her body and mind.

Faintly, but still over the wind and rain, Yuna heard a sort of roaring, but in this state she couldn't tell where it came from, whether it was fiend or storm. At first, she thought it was just in her own ears, but then she saw several recoil and shriek as the clouds above them emitted the noise again, a large shadow appearing in the midst of the dark gray masses.

Yuna looked back at the people following her, trying to keep them from panicking, even though the roaring made her want to scream and run as much as it did them. Then she made the mistake of letting her gaze wander up into the clouds, observing as the shadow got closer and closer to the helpless villagers.

Wakka yelled something to her, but she didn't hear it, the roaring got louder, lightning flashed, and the rain poured down upon them harder.

---

**Author's Note:** I know this is not the chapter 'The Third Sinner', but the chapter just got so cluttered that I decided to split it apart, sorry about that, in the future I'll try to be a little more on top of my story.

Next Chapter (for real this time): The Third Sinner

**Important Note: **In this chapter, Auron says there is a 'triangle effect' between Zanarkand, Besaid, and somewhere in the ocean. If you've played either game recently, you know that Besaid is to the south and Zanarkand at the opposite end of the map, so you'd be inclined to think that this triangle encompasses all of Spira, but in fact it doesn't. I'm going with the assumption that Spira is a complete world that takes on a spherical shape, and thus, Zanarkand can be technically north, or south, of Besaid. So the triangle that is mentioned is pretty small and the effects of Schism's attempt to gain corporeal form are isolated to that small area (or are at least most severe there).

**A Request from the Author: **Hello, how are you? Thank you very much for reading, but could you please leave a comment for me? A review with some encouragement, advice, or anything you want to give? You see, of late, I've been getting very frustrated with this story. But don't worry, it will continue. I'm very grateful that you have left me the reviews and recommendations you have, but please, I really want to know what I should do to make the story better.

I'll look forward to hearing from you.

Rose Northe


	7. The Third Sinner

**Disclaimer: **Square owns the Final Fantasy franchise, as well as Final Fantasy X and X-2 and all characters therein. I only own the plot for this fiction.

Thank you very much Warui-Usagi, Nikki of Spira, Little Pyrefly, Airemir, Hinagy, and all my anonymous reviewers! The encouragement you gave really made me want to write this! (Too bad it didn't cure me of my laziness … Sorry about that)

There seemed to be some confusion about whether or not this story will continue and I want to apologize for that. I shouldn't have complained like that, please forgive me, I'm just having a bit of trouble. But just know that under no circumstances would I ever stop this story, so you don't have to worry about yet another unfinished piece floating around.

I am deeply sorry for the misunderstandings.

Anyway, please enjoy!

**Tears of a Forgotten Summoner**

**Chapter Seven: The Third Sinner**

Rikku squeezed her eyes shut against the rain, straining once again to move forward, but to no avail. It made her want to scream, cry, do _something_, anything at all, but her legs were simply frozen beneath her and nothing the two panicked villagers could do made any difference.

If the girl had been in her right mind at that moment, of course she would have heard the roaring that seemed to get closer and closer as moments passed, but she couldn't, and the only thing that really penetrated her mind was the constant lightning that snaked across the skies.

The growl of the thing above increased and its sheer size blotted out the flashes overhead, finally catching the girl's attention as it lowered itself agonizingly slow, meter by meter, detaching itself from the blackened clouds. Further and further it descended, Rikku starting to fear that it would crush them. With this the girl perhaps the only option she had left to lessen the pain and impending doom.

She looked away.

Again perhaps sensing that their savior had lost the power to deliver them, the two refugees cried out, cowering near her. Rikku screwed her eyes shut, waiting for the pressure, the pain.

"Rikku!"

On instinct, the girl's neck snapped up to look at the source of the voice and saw, miraculously, that part of the bottom of the mist shrouded mass had simply fallen away to reveal Yuna. The Gullwing's leader was saying something, her mouth moving, but the blonde girl could not hear her over the rain, or perhaps it was her own disbelief at the sudden turn of events. Relief flooded the stranded girl so fast that she felt weak in the knees.

The Celsius!

---

Yuna pulled Rikku, the last person on the unfortunate island, up into the waiting maw of the Celsius, moments after collapsing to the ground, shouting weakly at the commsphere for someone to close the door. But even though the ex-summoner wasn't sure that she had even said anything, the door closed anyway, and left the two cousins in a sopping heap on the floor.

"I … I was so scared …" Rikku managed, her eyes wide and her body shaking.

Yuna nodded, trying unsuccessfully to drag herself up, "I know, Rikku."

Said girl shook her head violently, "Yunie, I have a bad feeling about this."

Yuna opened her mouth to object, but Rikku wouldn't let her.

"A _really_ bad feeling."

"Th-that's nonsense," Yuna lied, trying to put on a brave face. "It'll be alright."

"No, it won't!" Rikku cried, on the edge of hysteria, her face was as white as a sheet as she looked up at her cousin. "We defeated Sin! We stopped Vegnagun! But I couldn't even move down there! Don't you understand!" The girl lurched to unsteady feet, swaying like a leaf in the breeze, "We're in over our heads!"

Yuna tried to hold firm even though she felt the beginnings of fear rise in her throat, threatening to choke her, "Rikku, it's just bad weather …"

"Bad weather? Bad weather!" the girl nearly shrieked. "Spira itself was trying to kill us out there!"

The High Summoner shook her head, "It's just a storm …"

"No it's not!" Rikku insisted. "You've lived on Besaid for years, Yuna! Has it ever rained! Has it ever been cloudy!"

Yuna opened her mouth just in time to close it as she realized her companion was right.

"Have your guardians ever risen from the dead?" Paine drawled from the other side of the hanger, walking leisurely toward them.

The gun wielder was silent, looking at neither of them, preferring the ground to their eyes.

"Look, Yuna," the silver-haired woman said. "You have to admit one way or the other that this isn't normal."

"I-I …" Yuna swallowed hard.

"We have to figure this out," the sword wielder said with a surprisingly soft tone. "Spira is in danger." Rikku nodded emphatically.

"When will it end?" the brunette whispered softly.

"What was that?" Paine strode to the girl.

"I don't want this," she said, louder this time. "Why can't someone else step up? Why always us!"

"Now, Summoner Yuna, self-pity is unbecoming of your position," Auron emerged from the shadows, watching them steadily.

Yuna whirled to him, her eyes wide at hearing the still familiar voice after so many months of absence. Seeing the reaction caused him to smirk.

"Does this mean you do not care for the future of Spira anymore? How selfish," he chided, his voice slightly mocking.

"You said you would explain," Paine stated, looking disdainfully at the man. "We are here. Explain."

Auron seemed to ignore her, turning and striding toward the door to the main body of the Celsius.

"I'm talking to you!" the girl snarled at him, her tone caustic and biting.

The man hardly slowed, his head turning slightly to regard her, "You don't seem to understand. You're not in control here. And besides, the rescue mission is not over."

---

Gippal cursed as the Celsius failed to respond once again. Partly out of frustration and partly out of the urgency crackling through the room, the man pressed his foot solidly onto the acceleration pedal.

"Damn!" Baralai shouted from somewhere in the back of the ship's bridge, accompanied by a crash. "Do you mind warning me next time!"

Nooj shook his head, trying to concentrate on the commsphere's feedback over the noise his two companions were making.

"Didn't I tell you to hold on?" The Al Bhed retorted with an annoyed tone.

"Yeah, you did, and then you told me to go check that everything was tied down in the cargo hold."

"Oh, I had thought you finished. Sorry."

"Like hell you are!"

Nooj sighed, turning up the volume in his headphones yet again, fast reaching the ends of his patience.

"How do you—"

"Both of you! Shut yourselves up!"

That got the quarreling men's attention, to be sure. Nooj took a deep breath, as if calming himself (Gippal would later swear that he had seen the man count to ten under his breath), then spoke again, "We're all a little surprised and distressed over this, but that isn't reason to fight amongst ourselves," The man observed Baralai, who was opening his mouth to retort, and cut him off. "Do you understand?"

The two exchanged slightly perturbed looks, but nodded nonetheless.

Nooj sighed, "Now, step on it, Gippal, we don't have all day. And Baralai, check the charts, we need to estimate Cid's course."

"Sir," Baralai said softly, sinking into a seat and immediately getting to work.

"Yes sir," the other man murmured, doing as he was told.

Finally getting some peace, Nooj sighed and tried once again to hail the Celsius.

---

Yuna, Rikku, and Paine found out fairly quickly that they had to trot to keep up with Auron's brisk gait. They could surmise from his direction that he meant to go to the bridge, but as to what purpose he had, they had no plausible idea.

The High Summoner's mind raced as she almost ran along behind him. Schism … it had been mentioned several times, but each time he had skillfully evaded her questions concerning it. She didn't want to deal with it again, a destructive force arising with only a select, close-mouthed individuals knowing what it really was.

First Sin, then Vegnagun. Now Schism?

With certainty she could feel in every fiber of her being, Yuna knew that she didn't want to handle any more of this. She was always Spira's hope, Spira's bright beam of light leading others out of the darkness. That was all well and good, of course, but when did she ever get to enjoy the peace she brought?

Would her life go on like this until her inevitable death? How would people view her when she died? Would they revere her? Ridicule her? Blame her for the threat she couldn't stop? Or remember her for the times she did save them?

She shook her head, maybe she should have just left well alone. If she had just stayed at Besaid when the call to defeat Sin had come, maybe she would have been happy. As it was, she had to struggle to get the Fayth to recognize her at all.

Yuna remembered, she knelt in front of the Fayth, her arms moving incessantly, praying over and over to the great creature and still it's form was only half there. She had started to think that her gift was too weak to summon at all, started to wonder what would become of her if she came out of the chamber, shamed beyond reason.

The woman knew that Wakka, Lulu, and Kimahri would have been relieved, they cared so much that she knew it would impact them irreparably to have one more of their friends and comrades taken away. But still, Yuna was unwilling to give up, her father had sacrificed everything for Spira, she should be prepared to do the same.

It was strange, just a few minutes before the Fayth responded, Yuna remembered a soft sort of energy flow into her, as if someone was helping from the outside, guiding her. The Fayth accepted her, the door opened and she saw … him.

Tidus had been right there, as if sent by magic to help her. Her first thought when she heard of his exposure to Sin was sympathy, he had no home, no family, and she could tell that he was confused. He was exposed to danger beyond imagination, he witnessed the destruction of Kilika, the horror of Sin, and yet, he did not turn from it, he did not run away. Tidus stayed by her, even though he knew the cost of it was his own life.

He sacrificed himself for Spira, a land he had only begun to understand. All of Spira celebrated the triumph of High Summoner Yuna. No, she wanted to scream, it was Tidus, he did this, he saved us. No one took me seriously, they told her that she was just being humble, then, eventually, that she was looking for attention.

So she returned to Besaid, but it was still there. Some sort of guilt, she supposed it was. She had been prepared for her death, prepared to take it gracefully to save her people, but it wasn't her that took the final plunge. It had been Tidus.

Even in the peace between Sin and Vegnagun, the villagers seemed to expect her to conduct miracles, something the girl just couldn't deliver. Yuna tried to be happy, she really did, but the combination of her love's death and the expectations of those around her weighed heavily and destroyed whatever budding contentment she might have had.

Perhaps that was why she was so eager to re-invent herself, so hungry and almost desperate to escape her current circumstances that she chased a shade of Tidus to the ends of the earth.

Tidus was someone no one could replace … but with the Fayth involved, she couldn't be sure if he even existed at all. He was a dream of the Fayth. That was all. And perhaps that was what kept them from finding him and instead chasing Shuyin across the world.

The man that looked exactly like her love was evil, he was a lost soul that had not found peace in the thousand years he wandered Spira. Yuna had been so sure that he was Tidus, they looked identical, how can there not be a connection between the two?

She shook her head, no sense thinking about it now, the problem at hand was more important at the moment. When the door to the bridge opened, Yuna immediately noted that Lulu and Wakka were there. The woman sat by calmly in one of the spare crew chairs, rocking Vidina and watching as her husband had a rather animated discussion with Brother. Yuna instinctively moved closer, trying to catch snatches of their obvious argument, but Auron cut her off.

"Status," he said in a tone that demanded attention and made all eyes on the bridge turn to him. The man rolled his eyes as he saw the now common looks of disbelief and horror come over them, but did not step down.

Finally, after several beats of silence, Buddy answered the command, "Moderate damage to the port engine, slight misalignment of the rudders, but no other significant harm to the ship."

"Location."

"Not sure, sir," Buddy responded, pouring over a chart and trying not to meet the other man's gaze. "From what I can gather, we are currently somewhere over the ocean to the north of Besaid."

"How—" Wakka began, but again, Auron cut off any speech beside his own.

"Save your questions for later. Brother, you have been getting constant transmissions from Bevelle, have you not?"

Brother's mouth gaped slightly, "H-How you know?"

A wry smile twisted his lips, "Let's just say one of my comrades whispered in my ear about a certain event."

"But—"

"And keep it at that."

Rikku's patience was wearing thin and the ominous mood hanging in the air was already rubbing on her nerves, "Alright, don't keep us in suspense. What went wrong?"

"Father crash—"

"Cid's ship went out of control and crashed into the ocean," Paine said tonelessly, reciting what Brother had told her half an hour ago, though with arguably better grammar.

The blonde girl's face contorted first in shock, then in horror as the reality of the new information sank in. Instead of crying out in worry, or ordering Brother to get moving, Rikku's numbed mind could only register one thing as she turned to Paine, "Y-You knew about this?"

"Yes," the silver-haired woman said emotionlessly.

"Why didn't you tell me then!"

It was obvious that Paine was taken aback at the sudden anger and frustration in her friend's voice, and, thus, didn't know what to say.

"Answer me!" Rikku demanded in a slightly shrill voice. "Why didn't you tell me that my father is in trouble!"

Paine groped for words, trying to remember her excuse about Besaid being more important at the moment, but coming up blank. Brother smirked from his position on the sidelines and the young woman opened her mouth to yell at him, but, again, found no words to defend herself. A long silence stretched between those on the bridge, no one daring to speak for fear of making the situation worse. Everyone was still until a crackle of static broke the tension.

"Celsius … _cree_ … do you read? … _shhh_ …"

For a moment, no one moved, everyone seemingly frozen, but then Shinra seemed to come back to himself and turned to the commsphere, toggling switches and aligning circuits to respond.

"We read," he squeaked as he worked tirelessly to adjust the volume in the hopes of confirming the caller's identity.

"This is a … _garrr_ … follow-up transmission from Bevelle Cruiser … _scree_ … 12, requesting coordinates for rendezvous."

Shinra frantically reached for the microphone again, practically yelling into it, "That's a negative! Negative! Bad weather, rendezvous impossible."

Yuna crept closer, looking into the sphere, which was currently riddled with static, unable to form a coherent picture of the caller.

As if sensing the confusion of those aboard, the voice answered the unspoken question, "This is Nooj, what is your current … _shhh_ … position?"

Buddy thrust some maps in Shinra's face and the boy scanned them quickly, "Anchored north of Besaid. We're carrying refugees."

"Refugees? … _schree_ … did you get any of our previous broadcasts? Are they from Cid's ship?"

Brother forced his way near the commsphere, shouting, "You mean tell me, you not found yet!"

Shinra frowned, slightly annoyed, and threw the maps in the man's face, "Negative. From Besaid. We received one of your calls earlier, but we don't know where to begin."

"Fly … north-north east … _shhh_ … east of Zanarkand."

The boy waved at Brother as if he were trying to direct traffic, but the other was oblivious until Buddy snatched the charts from him and traced his finger along the most likely course. Finally understanding, both men went to work pulling up the anchors and preparing to brave the storm.

"Affirmative, we will head there. Need more room. Too many people."

"Understood … _cree_ … rendezvous there and exchange … Nooj out …" the crackle of static ceased, the boy collapsing in his chair like a puppet whose strings had been cut. Shinra looked up meaningfully at Yuna and she nodded.

"Who's up for a rescue mission?"

---

Tidus watched the rain for a long time, not budging an inch. Finally, things out there seemed to have calmed down. The whirlwind that Schism had been trying to use was now dwindling to a summer rainstorm and the sky, while not sunny and clear, wasn't quite as violent.

He pulled the soaked cloak tighter about his form as he looked out over the ocean. It wasn't over, not by a long shot. The little hairs on the back of his neck prickled, he could feel the Three Sinners, two already fully emerged, the third still blanketed in the bowels of hell, but slowly awakening.

The man knew what was to pass; the third would emerge and bring with it the horror of a thousand years. Suddenly, he wished that he could tell them, somehow warn them of what was coming. He knew that it would cause great pain, especially to the High Summoner …

He quickly squelched the urge, shaking his head slightly. She had brought this destruction down upon them, it was only right that she suffer the consequences first-hand.

It was inevitable that one of the Sinners would come after him, probably Auron if he knew the man at all, why go to them when they would just come on their own? Beside the point, Yuna could use a little humility, she needed to see how small she was before she could help at all. She deserved it.

Tidus closed his eyes, but was that reason enough to throw her to the wolves?

---

Yuna was surprised at how clear the weather was once they had been flying for a good half hour. The sky was still black and heavy with clouds, but no tornados or typhoons ripped at the ship and it was relatively smooth sailing.

She dared not say anything, though. No one had spoken since they weighed anchor, not even to ask Auron what was going on, and said man, of course, stayed as tightlipped as always. The tension in the room was thick and almost tangible, mostly with worry, but Rikku was seething with displeasure until Yuna was forced to consider the future of the Gullwings themselves. They were in no shape as a team to help anyone and their leader was starting to seriously doubt if she could keep them together much longer. Everyone seemed to be tense, angry, or just plain helpless.

The woman knew it was selfish, knew that she shouldn't think the way she was now, but she just wished that someone else would step up and save the world. Yuna was tired and it was only getting worse.

There were due to be at the designated area in any moment and then the searching would begin. Buddy had estimated where they would be, but whether they had drowned or exploded wasn't brought into the question. According to follow-up reports from Nooj, they had lost contact approximately four hours, with the emergency signal coming an hour later. If there wasn't a substantial air leak and nothing seriously wrong with the engines, then they should be alright with plenty of air for a good while, but an infinite number of things could have gone wrong.

Even though they all acknowledged that it was just as likely for them to be dead as alive, no one spoke of it, no one asked the question. She guessed it was to bring up morale, bloody effective, Yuna had to admit. Instead of taking the question head on, they just let it hang in the air and poison everyone in the room.

Brother made a slight grunt that passed for clearing of his throat and spoke, "We are currently above the target area …"

As if waiting for a cue, Buddy spoke up, directing his voice to Shinra, "So, how should we look for them?"

The little boy shook his head, responding simply, "I'm only a kid."

Rikku's temper ignited, "Then what are we supposed to do? Start bailing the ocean? They'll be long dead by the time we—"

"You won't save anyone by yelling at each other," Auron said calmly, straightening and looking reproachfully at those around him. "Who are you? You are not the comrades I fought with three years ago." Complete silence greeted his statement, and he sighed, "Deploy sonar."

"Sonar?" Shinra asked incredulously. "This is an airship, sonar only works in the water …"

"I'm no fool, little boy," Auron said dryly. "This ship has many, shall we say unorthodox, enhancements and spare parts aboard, including sonar. So far I have counted at least two individual sonar nodes that are in working condition, attach a cord and shoot it at the right angle and we can find the ship."

Needless to say, most on the bridge were completely speechless. To everyone's surprise, it was Shinra that spoke first.

"Sir … you're a warrior monk, aren't you? H-How could you know this much about machina?"

The former guardian chose to ignore him, "The sonar can be readied in less than twenty minutes if you have the right mechanics, I trust you'll get it done in half that time?"

Shinra nodded numbly, still in shock, and immediately exited to obey the man.

Auron took a deep breath, "Yuna. You and a team of your choosing are to find Cid and help any and all crew members. There shouldn't be too many of them, probably around twenty to thirty. We will tether the ship and bring it to the surface. His ship will be unable to fly, let it sink, just be sure to get everyone off. Is that understood?"

If his voice had been less commanding, or if she were bolder, she might have questioned him, but now her heart wasn't it and she found herself nodding.

The minutes ticked by with the leaden speed of prisoners marching to their death, but finally they were ready, two tubes loaded with the makeshift sonar missiles, the guns manned by Rikku, who was adjusting the targeting device and direction as accurately as she could. Paine and Yuna loitered behind her, the brunette wringing her hands in worry while the other simply leaned against a nearby support, looking over the younger girl's shoulder.

Brother had been ordered to keep the ship as steady as was possible and was doing a pretty good job of it, everything was silent, all was waiting on the blonde girl. Rikku aimed, hoping that the angle would allow safe entry, and fired.

The small thing flew straight on the path, but warbled a bit on entry, turning on its side and exploding with a rather disappointing display, its cord, suddenly deprived of its weight, whipping pointlessly around in the wind. Rikku cursed quietly, trying to readjust the aim.

Paine leaned forward a bit, "Damn, Rikku, you missed the ocean!"

Immediately, Rikku whirled on her, anger flaring.

"Ignore her, Rikku, try again," Auron said calmly, not looking at either girl.

The girl nodded faintly, already concentrating on the target again. This time, the sonar sank effortlessly, still intact and ready to use. Taking the initiative, Shinra activated it instantaneously and sent out a signal, finding the ship in ten seconds flat. It was two miles off from their position toward Zanarkand, but they were above it in no time at all. At that moment, no one paid the clouds looming over the horizon, completely blanketing the ruins, any mind, all of them concentrating on launching the tethers without damaging the ship any more than was absolutely necessary.

Auron gave commands mercilessly, making sure they succeeded, then giving the Gullwings their final brief.

"You have twenty minutes at the most, the tethers will hold that long, but not much longer. For that time, all communications will be dead, we can't transmit through that ship's hull, too much interference, is that clear?"

All three nodded and boarded the elevator down to the hanger. Yuna was now glad for that cage that Buddy insisted they buy to run up and down the tethers in case they needed to transport supplies mid-flight, the three simply riding in the cage.

Yuna looked sadly at the now barely surfaced wreck that had once been Cid's ship. There were plenty of holes to crawl into and the woman wasn't surprised to find that the inside was half flooded.

With a few curt motions, it was conveyed that they were all to go separate ways and find whatever they could. The ex-summoner was thankful that the ship was at an angle that showed that at least some of the ship had not yet flooded.

---

Auron watched as the clouds retracted, watched as those still left in the room stared in awe and horror at the spectacle laid out in front of them. The man saw it all, took it in unflinchingly.

He sighed, closing his eyes, for it to be happening this fast … there had to be a reason … or perhaps the world was just coming to an end …

---

Instinctively, Yuna headed for the bridge, finding the room open, obviously by force, a few electrical fires still sparking. Yuna almost recoiled from the scent of death that hung heavy in the air, most of the exposed bodies were crushed or burned, limp and obviously dead. It was a few minutes of searching until she found Cid, one leg trapped beneath a fallen console, unconscious, but, thankfully, still breathing slightly. Working quickly, she freed him, noting the strange angle his leg hung at, but hoisting him up all the same, half dragging him from the room.

His dead weight kept her from her normal speed, but still, she was simply too late to help the crew members she saw. Finally, with a heavy heart and fatigued body, she headed for the cage again, finding Paine and Rikku waiting for her. Both of them had sobered to the point of morbidity, only a handful of frightened and injured men and women accompanying them.

As soon as she saw her father, Rikku was by his side, trying to make him as comfortable as possible while Paine operated the cage. Finding nothing else to do, Yuna called the bridge of the Celsius on a portable commsphere Shinra had recently given her, and waited for a response …

Strange, no one was answering.

Sensing that something was wrong, Yuna urged her fellow Gullwings to step up their efforts, laying the new refugees in their own beds and hurrying up to the bridge.

Instead of the busy place it should have been, the ship's command center was as still as death with all occupants save Auron frozen in their tracks, their eyes toward the viewport. Worried, she glanced from face to face, only finding horror and gloom in her comrade's eyes, Rikku and Paine already freezing up as they followed the gazes of the others.

Yuna looked up in an effort to distract herself from the gloom all around and her eyes fell on the cursed city laid out before them. At first, she only stared in awe, then her mouth dropped open.

There was not a collection of dilapidated ruins, but in its place a dark mass of tall buildings with pinpricks of light, but that wasn't all. A sort of darkness spread on the ground beneath it, blanketing everything in inky blackness.

The woman tore her eyes away, looking to Auron, who was looking at her.

"No," the man said softly. "Don't avert your eyes, don't look away."

Yuna forced herself to obey, looking back at the city, then to a spot just near it where the water churned and bubbled, more of the darkness surfacing, tendrils reaching from it, groping about blindly. The huge mass continued its slow ascent, the black covering melting away to show …

The woman felt as if she couldn't breathe, all the air she took into her lungs wasn't enough, and she took the last option open to her.

She screamed for all she was worth.

Before her, alive and in all its glory, was the very entity that had struck fear into Spira since the beginning of history …

… _Sin …_

---

**Author's Note:**Thank you for being so patient,I'm so sorry for the wait. Please tell me what you think so I can improve the story. Please review.

This chapter was supposed to set up internal tension, please tell me if it accomplished it.

**Checklist**:

Totally destroy the plots of Final Fantasies X and X-2 ... Check

Rebuild them to fit the plot I have in mind ... Check

Bring in a mysterious villian ... Check

Keep you in suspense of what Schism is ... Check

Set up tension ... Check

Make Yuna and Tidus meet again ... Not Check, hmm, it's about time I did that ...

**Next Chapter: **Cue Black Knight

I'll be looking forward to hearing from you.

Rose Northe


	8. Cue Black Knight

**Disclaimer: **What do any of us really own in this life? … Certainly not Final Fantasy …

Thanks to Nikki of Spira, Warui Usagi, Little Pyrefly, ThePirateJilt, and Zeshin-kun for reviewing! I really appreciate your support. Thank you especially to ThePirateJilt for telling me what I needed to hear when I needed it most. This chapter's for all the people who have been waiting for it!

I get the feeling from the sparse reviews that many of you did not like the previous chapter, so, if you could, review or message me with your concerns, questions, or criticisms, I would be honored to hear them.

Well, it's been a while, hasn't it? I hope you're well and thank you for reading. Things have been crazy and this chapter took a lot of thought on my part, but it's done now and I hope you like the results. Please don't forget to review!

**Important Note: **From the fictions I have read, I handle action scenes a bit differently. Contained in this chapter is a very crucial action sequence and I seek to uproot any confusion beforehand. First of all, I'm not very good at action scenes of any kind, so it may be choppy in places (if you see any, please include them in a review or message), but that's not the important thing. In this story Potions, Antidotes, Hi-Potions, X-Potions, Cure, Cura, Curaga, and yes, even Life, Full-Life, and Phoenix Down, do **_NOT _**exist. When I hurt one of the characters, they might be treated by a doctor, but there are no quick fixes. In addition, Dresspheres are something of an absolute taboo with me and will not be used unless the situation created in the story calls for it.

As promised, this chapter is a major turning point and what you have been waiting and wondering about will happen within … Auron will spill some of the dirt he has on Schism and the errant couple will finally meet again. So, without further ado, please enjoy.

**Tears of a Forgotten Summoner**

**Chapter Eight: Cue Black Knight**

_The footsteps that approached were eerily familiar; he knew them all too well, and frankly, the prospect of them here enraged him. He knew it was inevitable, this wasn't one of those things that would be put off or avoided, but still, he wished that it hadn't come to this. The man wanted them to pay, that was for sure, and maybe the sadistic part of him wanted them to suffer for their crimes as well, but, even so, he didn't want to be involved anymore._

_Strings of fate, once tangled, cannot be undone._

_He could not avoid this anymore than he could avoid Schism and maybe, just maybe, if they used all they had against the wretched thing, they could destroy it._

_Doubtful, but it was worth a try._

_They were calling out to him, calling out to a stranger, agitated, losing more and more of their senses in their rush to prove themselves. The snow and rock near his foot exploded as a bullet pierced it and he sighed, this was fate, he guessed._

_The man was already rooted to the playing board and fate cannot be tricked so easily as to let him go. There was only one thing left to do._

_The cloaked man turned toward his visitors, careful to keep the hood over his face._

_A smile spread across Tidus's face and his lips moved to form three words, words that were lost in the wind, never to be heard._

"_Cue Black Knight."_

--- Six Hours Earlier ---

"Why! Who would do this!" Yuna screamed, a tear escaping her as she came closer and closer to falling completely.

Auron's face was impassive, his manner unchanged, "Get a hold of yourself."

The woman didn't seem to hear him, her voice rising through octaves usually unavailable to her as she neared hysteria, "How can I? How can I! Do you see what's out that window! Do you! We killed that thing! We did! It disappeared! Why is it here!" She slowly stumbled to him. "Why!" Her hands grabbed the front of his shirt, her fingers tangling in it.

He said nothing, staring straight ahead as she clutched at him. The others weren't in a much better state, staring at Yuna, the only one that was moving, perhaps they were scared, in fact, he was sure that they were, but now they were simply waiting for an explanation.

Sighing, he reached down and cupped the woman's cheek, gently lifting her chin so that she could look him in the face. The girl, getting ever closer to the edge, cried out a bit, struggling. Auron growled a bit as she screamed, nearing the end of his patience for the petulant child.

"Yuna!" his voice was a snarl and she didn't heed it, continuing to mumble incoherently into his jacket, kneeling before him.

More insistently this time, he cupped her cheek, making her look at him. Surprisingly, she quieted quickly, looking up at him with wide eyes, but she still shook incessantly. Frowning, he raised a hand, slapping the woman soundly across the face, not too hard, just enough to let her know that she was being a child.

The High Summoner froze, her face turned to the left, a small red mark developing, in shock, she couldn't even think of what to do…

Rikku, finally gathering her wits, gasped in outrage, echoed by several of the others on the bridge, all of them immediately starting forward. They didn't get far, the moment they took a step toward them, Auron held up a hand, his authority and general manner at the moment stopping them in their tracks. With that done, the man returned to the task at hand, once again lifting the chin of the now fairly calm girl.

"Yuna. Do you remember what people used to say Sin was?"

Lacking the power of speech, the girl nodded slightly.

"State it."

She swallowed hard, trying to force the lump in her throat down as she gazed up at the weathered guardian, "Th-The culmination of the sins committed by the peoples of Spira…"

Auron cocked his head slightly, "But you know that that's not true, don't you?"

Again, she nodded, trying to bow her head and look away, but finding herself unable, "Sin is Yu Yevon."

The man inhaled in a hiss, looking away from her, "Yes, Yu Yevon. A sinner from the Old World a thousand years ago."

"S-Sinner?" she stared up at him, trying to decipher the tone he had used.

He looked down again, "Yes, Yuna. You see, he's nothing but a puppet." Auron's teeth gritted, "He was once a man, you know, like the rest of us, but he was fooled. Seduced by pretty words and a false form, false promises."

That statement was layered with multiple meanings, that, at least, all of them could tell, but before any could formulate a question, Auron grabbed Yuna's arm, pulling her to her feet and whirling her around so that she was looking at Sin once again.

"Schism did this. It is the real punishment for our sins. Schism is the real Sin, the one talked about in legend, not the one we fought. This … This is the true scourge of Spira!"

His impassioned voice died slowly, the echoes still ringing in everyone's minds. No one spoke, no one moved, and no one dared to look away from the horror laid out in front of them.

Yuna took a deep breath, trying to gather herself together before speaking, "What … do I have to do?"

Auron smiled a bit, waiting for her to clarify, but already knowing her meaning.

"What do I have to do to defeat this thing?"

---

Gippal cursed darkly, trying to avoid looking at the sight laid out before him by concentrating every last bit of his attention on manuevering the ship toward the Celsius. Beside him, Nooj was staring fixedly at the dark city and the damnable creature hovering near it, his face unreadable. Baralai, in contrast, sat as stiff as a board, his face to the side so he didn't have to see what he couldn't deny.

The blonde man bit his lip, "We should contact the Celsius."

No one responded to his statement, lost in their own worlds

"We can't hover here all day," Gippal looked about at them, then sighed. "Are you forgetting? We came here to pick up the refugees from Besaid, the Celsius can't toss them out a shaft and expect us to catch them. We have to discuss a rendezvous point, one on the _ground_."

That at least got some response, Baralai reached numbly for the commsphere, tapping into their lines. Several minutes passed in silence until the white-haired man addressed Gippal.

"They're not answering …"

"Well, maybe they're standing about gawking, we certainly did enough of that, wouldn't you say?"

Baralai was about to give a scathing retort when an unfamiliar voice carried over the sphere.

"I take it you are the ship from Bevelle?"

A simple glance to Baralai and Nooj confirmed what Gippal already knew, this man wasn't of the crew and was a potential threat if Yuna and the others had not answered the sphere themselves.

Slight chuckling from the other end made all three jump slightly, "Do not worry, Yuna is safe."

"I don't believe you," Baralai hissed over the line, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "If she is there, let Yuna take this call."

"You're not a trusting one, are you?" the voice was slightly amused. "Very well."

Brief static and then Yuna's voice filtered through, "Nooj?"

"This is Baralai. We're on your port side, requesting a location to land and take on the refugees you have aboard."

"Um … give us a minute."

"Gagazet," came the first voice.

"Gagazet?" Yuna echoed, obviously asking for a reason.

"Just do it."

" … Baralai, we'll be landing in the Calm Lands, near the base of Gagazet, please meet us there."

"Understood."

_Click._

" …What was that all about?" Gippal questioned, slightly perturbed.

"I don't know, but we'll have to find out soon…"

---

Yuna shivered as she stepped out of the Celsius, still deeply shaken by earlier events, but better due to the fact that she had a purpose to fulfill. She rubbed her arms a bit and knelt down in an effort to conserve heat as she watched Gippal's ship land, the refugees already being herded out by Rikku and Paine.

Despite his earlier looseness of tongue, Auron had been extremely tightlipped for quite a while, seemingly satisfied with their willingness to go head to head with Schism.

Now at least she knew the nature of the beast, it was the real Sin. Punishment for sins committed … but if it was, how were they to defeat it? Was it like Sin, did it have a core that they could destroy, some hidden weakness they could exploit? …

Or was it the true Sin? The one that could only be defeated by sacrificing human life?

She shook her head against that ugly thought, trying unsuccessfully to shove it into the back of her mind. That was not an acceptable answer to anything.

Her name on the wind halted her train of thought and she looked up to see Gippal waving wildly, the crew and passengers of the Celsius already gathering about the man. Cursing her negligence, Yuna trotted over to them.

Baralai and Nooj were already hard at work directing the refugees while Gippal was working crowd control. Auron stood nearby, impassively watching the proceedings, Paine beside him, watching him with no small amount of contempt in her eyes. Rikku was biting her lip, obviously thinking of her father, who had blatantly refused to be taken from the Celsius, insisting that he would be of use. Shinra stood near her, his small hand in her larger one, obviously trying to give her some measure of comfort with his presence. Wakka's arms were crossed over his chest as he watched his fellow villagers walk up the boarding plank with whatever belongings they had managed to save, but Lulu was no where to be found.

Yuna tapped her former guardian on the shoulder, and the red-haired man turned to face her, starting badly, as if shaken from very seriously thoughts, "Ah … Yuna."

"Where's Lulu? And Vidina?" Yuna's voice took on a slightly concerned edge.

He rubbed his hands together, "Well, she's back on the Celsius …"

"Why?" Yuna interrupted. "She should be boarding now."

Wakka looked down at her, "Look Yuna, we traveled with you three years ago, we're not helpless, you know. Lulu is teaching Barkeep how to take care of Vidina in our absence."

"Your … absence?"

"We're coming with you."

Yuna's eyes widened as the reality soaked in, shaking her head, "Wakka, no."

"Why not?"

"Because there's no need," Yuna said firmly. "Rikku, Paine, and I can handle it, no need for you to get involved."

"No need to get," he muttered. "Yuna, I live in Spira, I'm already involved. I just watched my house blow apart, and my island flattened. I can't get _more _involved than this."

"But—"

"No buts," he said, uncharacteristically stern. "This is not some sphere hunt. You can't do this on your own, so stop acting like you're the only one who can fight. If what I've heard is right, this thing is bigger then all of us and if we're going to defeat it, we're going to have to work together. I, for one, want to be on the front lines rather than hiding in some hole."

To say the least, Yuna was shocked. She had never heard Wakka speak so, and his tone of voice didn't help. A little stunned, she directed her attention to the other ship just in time to hear Gippal order the hold closed.

"Lady Yuna," Baralai addressed as he strode toward the small knot of people, Nooj on his heels and Gippal not far behind.

"Baralai," the High Summoner said politely, but nothing more, perhaps afraid her voice would break.

"Well," the praetor cleared his throat nervously at her standoffish state at the moment. "Since we've come all the way, we believe we are entitled—"

"To know what the hell's going on!" Gippal interrupted brusquely, crossing his arms over his chest. Baralai shot him a scathing look, but waited for an answer all the same.

The ex-summoner opened her mouth, but was cut off.

"And you'd be right," Auron said calmly. "But it is hard to explain, all you need to know now is that there is an entity larger than all of us behind the scenes. It is this entity that brought Sin back into this world, and it is the very same being that we must find a way to defeat."

Nooj studied the man for a moment, "And you would be?"

"Auron, guardian of High Summoners Braska and Yuna."

Baralai was about to say something when Auron motioned for silence, "We don't have time to speculate on how a dead man is standing in front of you. We should be going," without taking his eyes from them, Auron twisted his body half around, pointing at the summit of Gagazet, "there."

Gippal seemed to think for a moment, then turned to Nooj, "Do you mind flying that hunk of junk home?"

Said man seemed surprised, but nodded, "I'll do it."

"Then it's settled," the blonde man turned back to them. "I'm coming with you."

Baralai's brow furrowed, "Not without me, you're not."

Auron pinched the bridge of his nose as if to ward off an incoming headache, "The baggage just keeps piling up…"

---

Yuna nodded to the few Ronso that had faithfully come to meet her as they passed out of their territory, impatient to get underway to where ever Auron was taking them. The others seemed equally anxious, all eight of them. In addition to Gippal and Baralai inviting themselves along, Wakka and Lulu 'just happened' to be going to the same way, and Kimahri insisted, once he saw them, that he had to protect the peace of Gagazet. It was starting to agitate Yuna.

It was obvious that she wasn't the only Gullwing that thought that all these extra people were just unnecessary, and further, hindering to the mission. All that need go were the Gullwings and Auron, but no one seemed to listen.

"Wow…" Rikku mumbled irritably as her foot sank into a foot of cold, wet snow. "It's like a big reunion."

"Yes, it is, isn't it?" Wakka replied. "Plus a few."

Paine glared at him, "Yes, it does seem to be a gathering of Yuna's pilgrimage, minus one. Wasn't there some other guardian?"

"Yes," Yuna said curtly, trying again to ward off the cold. "…He won't be coming to our little reunion."

Auron smirked, but no one saw.

And so, the climb continued in silence. Yuna spent most of the time thinking about what they could possibly be accomplishing by climbing Gagazet.

From the sparse hints the weathered red clad man dropped, they weren't exactly going on the all out offensive against Schism just yet, which is what they needed to be doing.

"Auron," she called and the man looked back over his shoulder, acknowledging her without slowing.

"You want to know what we're doing here, correct?"

She nodded slightly, watching as he heaved a sigh.

"Schism is a very secretive creature, as I'm sure you can surmise, and as such, not many people know very much about it."

Yuna's brow furrowed, "Don't you?"

"I know what it does and how it emerges, not what it is and what caused the flare up in activity. There is a difference."

The woman almost stopped short, "Do you know how to defeat it?"

The answer didn't come immediately and was obviously hesitant, "…No."

"Then why are we on a wild goose chase?" Paine snapped, her body shivering madly from the cold.

Auron chuckled, "We are not on a wild goose chase, my dear pessimist."

"Then what do you call this!"

Yuna turned sharply to Paine, trying to get her to stop pestering the man, but she would not concede.

"This is an information gathering mission."

"Oh, and I suppose the way to defeat this Schism thing is waiting at the top of this mountain right beside the meaning of life?" Paine snarled, her leather leggings starting to pinch at the thighs.

"If only it were that simple," Auron said almost wistfully, looking back at her. "By the way, aren't you cold?" he chuckled a bit, then sobered again. "No, we are going to see a man that will have at least some of the answers we seek."

"And he lives at the top of a mountain. I find that hard to swallow."

"But it is true. He has a tendency to stay around places that have no connections to the outside world, and since Zanarkand is currently off-limits, our next best bet is here, in this wasteland."

Yuna frowned a little, not quite convinced, "Wait, if you don't know that much about Schism, then how can you expect anyone else to? It's not like the existence of that thing is common knowledge."

"Believe me, he knows. And as much as I hate to admit it, he knows more than I do. He will know what has caused this," Auron continued walking, muttering mostly to himself. "Or he caused it himself…"

---

The near summit of Gagazet was frigid, but the snow had receded slightly as they neared the point where it was no longer the mountain, but the beginning of the cursed ruins. Hours of searching with only Auron's word that they would find something had brought them onto a small plateau that was dusted with snow.

Sure enough, across the way, a man stood, just like Auron had said, cloaked and hooded, his back to them. He made no attempt to turn and face them, just stood as if he hadn't noticed their existence.

Yuna could sense power coming from him, power that wasn't exactly dark, but not light either, a gray aura that did not bode well with her.

Auron stepped forward, "It's been a long time, hasn't it? Three years since we last met, I believe."

It might have been Yuna's imagination, but the man's head seemed to have jerked slightly in Auron's direction, perhaps in recognition.

"You know why we're here," the ex-guardian continued, unperturbed by his audience's obvious lack of interest. "We won't leave until you tell us what we want to know."

Yuna was fast losing patience, something about that man sent chills up her spine, she didn't like this, not at all.

"You know this is your only chance, why waste it?"

The High Summoner was tired of all the secrets, all the lies, if this man was not willing to help, then he was just as bad as Schism itself. Instinctively, her hands gravitated to the handles of her guns, readying to draw.

"Schism needs to be defeated, you know that as well as I, and we both want to see it dead, so why not join forces. Us and the High Summoner."

The snow near the man's right foot exploded as Yuna unloaded a bullet into it, both her wits and patience at an end. Auron didn't even glance at her, as if he had expected something of the like to happen, and the other Gullwings drew their weapons, readying for a battle.

Slowly, the man reacted, turning toward them, one hand keeping the hood in place as his mouth moved slowly, the words lost to their ears.

Enraged at the audacity this man showed, Yuna held up a gun, her voice deadly, "Gullwings, attack!"

The three charged, immediately forming a triangle about the man.

Wakka gasped, trying to follow, but Auron held up a hand to stop him, "Don't, Wakka, it's already an unfair fight."

Yuna circled calmly, her eyes fixed on the man as the other Gullwings did the same, readying themselves to attack a man that wasn't protecting himself. The woman, for the first time, really considered what she was doing. How low had she fallen to attack an unarmed man? And that uncertainty caused her to hesitate.

In a split second, the battle was in full swing, the man loosing a hidden sword that looked suspiciously like a katana and instantly going for her. To save her head and her life, Yuna crossed her guns in a feeble attempt to stop the sword's descent, only succeeding in slowing it. Luckily, Rikku was there, striking from a different direction and causing the man to spring to the side, away from the blades.

He landed in a defensive crouch, a hand again coming up to make sure that the hood was firmly in place.

Angered at the casualness with which this man took their attacks, Paine launched herself at him, their swords meeting hilt to hilt as Rikku again scrambled to her feet, seeking to incapacitate the man while he was busy. But he was faster than she had expected, narrowly missing the blade by pushing himself back, using Paine's sword as a launch block.

Yuna squinted as she aimed, knowing all to well that if she missed, even by a little, one of her friends was liable to take the hit. When he separated himself from the others, that gave her the chance she had been waiting for, aim and … fire!

The cloaked man jerked as the bullet impacted on his left side, near the joint between shoulder and arm. Again, it might have been her imagination, but the man's head turned her way for a moment. Altogether, he didn't seem too concerned with the bullet, if anything it seemed to enrage more than hurt him.

He struck out at Paine who happened to be closest to him, swinging fast and hard. The silver-haired woman was forced to take a step back, then another as he continued his onslaught. Trying to help her friend, the blonde girl jumped into the fray, attacking him furiously as Paine recovered, then joined in as well.

Parry, parry, parry, block, thrust, block, parry, thrust, thrust, block, parry, parry, parry, block, thrust…

At first the pattern he used seemed very random and untraceable, but as Yuna watched, she found that she could predict several very distinct moves he would make. Smiling slightly, she aimed again, this time for his back, not a vital place, but one that would hopefully keep him from moving around too much.

"Gotcha," she whispered as her finger depressed the trigger.

The man jerked forward as the second bullet hit, both his assailants pausing momentarily, unsure whether to stop or continue. Blood splattered the ground and all was still for a few moments.

Auron turned his head; they were impulsive, hardheaded, childish, and downright selfish, and they were about to be taught a lesson they wouldn't soon forget.

Then suddenly Rikku found herself on the ground; a booted foot crushing her diaphragm as its owner proceeded to beat on her silver-haired comrade. Panicking, Yuna released another shot, this time hitting the blade near the base, causing the man to drop it, but he didn't seem to mind, he certainly wasn't averse to fighting them with his bare hands.

Paine almost cried out as her hair was grabbed and pulled roughly forward, a knee slamming into her stomach with enough force to deflate all the auxiliary oxygen the woman was carrying.

With a cry of fury, Yuna swung the gun up again to aim at the man, his head this time, but didn't get to make the shot due to the fact that he had been smart enough to drag the now unconscious Paine up as a human shield. Cursing, but unwilling to give up, Yuna held steady, waiting for him to make his move, but she never saw it, she only registered that Paine had inexplicably slumped to the floor before the man was in her face, one of her guns skittering across the ground, the other not long after it.

Panicking again, the only Gullwing left standing threw up a shaky guard, backing away as armor covered fist connected with her forearm, ripping a sizable gash in the unprotected flesh. She cried out, trying to keep from dropping to her knees as his assault continued.

Time slowed to a crawl as she watched the man, raising one of her shoulders in anticipation of the kick she knew was coming. Perhaps curious as to who this man really was, or perhaps looking for some sort of mercy, the woman looked up into his face, the hood moving conveniently to show the face she had seen so many times in her dreams…

"Tidus!"

Then time resumed its course. The raised shoulder was the only thing that saved her life in the end. The high kick that was delivered would have snapped her neck easily if not for that. His leg crashed into her shoulder with almost inhuman force, but she didn't have time to even scream. Before she even knew what was happening, her body was airborne and then on the ground again, her eyes wide in shock.

And then everything went black.

---

**Author's Note: **To tell you the truth, I was actually very nervous about writing this chapter, I've been building up to it for so long, I didn't want to mess it up. So please let me know if you liked it, hated it, or thought it was just plain melodramatic, I really want to know.

**Goals: **For every story, I like to have a specific goal in mind.

Tears of a Forgotten Summoner: To create an original plot that makes coherent sense outside of my mind while using as few of my own characters as possible (so far, the only one that will appear at all is Schism, and that's more of a dark power than anything else).

Incurable Affection: It's an AU story, and I'm well aware that a lot of people don't like AU because of all the clichés and bad language used, so the goal for IA is to avoid clichés.

**A Request: **If any of you have been to my profile then you know that I have two stories, this one and Incurable Affection, so, if you get the chance, could you please read Incurable Affection and tell me your honest opinion? Thank you very much.

Next Chapter:Bittersweet Reunion

I'll be looking forward to hearing from you

Rose Northe


	9. Bittersweet Reunion

**Disclaimer: **You already know I don't own anything.

Thank you to Warui-Usagi, Hiya, ThePirateJilt, Nikki of Spira, Hinagy, Little Pyrefly, FinalFantasyAngel92, and Zeshin-kun for reviewing! I really appreciate the encouragement.

Well, a lot of people expressed that they were surprised and unhappy with the reunion, and that, I don't blame you for. It's only fair to say that meeting each other again was the _easy_ part, now comes the actual meat of the story.

Even so, I was a little shocked by your reactions. When I thought of how to make them react to each other, this was the only plausible way I came up with. It's been eating away at me to know how you expected it to turn out, so, if you ever have a spare moment, please let me know in a review or message and I'd be most grateful. Thank you very much.

But, let me remind you, this story is 'Romance/Action/Adventure', and I would not rate it so if I did not mean it. So, yes, there is Romance on the way, and no, Tidus and Yuna will not be enemies.

**Important: **Again, content in this chapter, as well in several others, can be interpreted as 'Yuna bashing', but I assure you, that is not my intent. I like Yuna just fine as a character.

Please enjoy and please review!

**Tears of a Forgotten Summoner**

**Chapter Nine: Bittersweet Reunion**

"Now that you have that out of your system," Auron said calmly, his face and mannerisms stoic, "are you ready to cooperate?"

Tidus didn't answer at first, preferring to let the other man's temper simmer a bit as he looked curiously about at the engine room the older man had ushered him into.

"Well?"

"…You know that Yuna is useless as she is now."

"I know," Auron sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"You're disappointed," the younger man observed, interested.

"Of course I am."

Tidus frowned, "How did you expect it to play out, then?"

The other man heaved another sigh, "I don't know. We've been plagued with bad luck ever since Schism emerged the first time, I was hoping that something would finally go right."

"If it did, then you wouldn't be here anymore."

"Good point," the man grumbled. "Tell me something. How did Schism come to awakening?" His tone darkened, "Was it you?"

"No," the young man said flatly.

Auron seemed to take it as truth, but didn't stop pursuing the subject. "Then what information do you have?"

Tidus frowned, "Information that will not be kept secret. All of them need to hear this."

The other man seemed shocked, but changed the subject with not a beat in between, "Answer my first question. Will you join us?"

Tidus narrowed his eyes slightly. Auron asked, made it look like he had a choice, but just like it always was in deception, he really had no choice in the matter. There was only one path to take.

… and both of them knew it.

---

Rikku was confused.

No matter how much she tried to understand the situation, nothing really made sense. First Besaid's destruction, then Auron's reappearance followed by her father's near brush with death and the small hints at their enemies existance.

Now Tidus had come back.

She closed her eyes. It was wrong, something was wrong. Why had he …? Well, it might have something to do with the fact that Yuna shot at him first.

The events were a blur in her mind, but one thing stood apart from the rest, he hadn't fought like a man that was trying to defend himself. No, Tidus, if that was who he was, had fought like an enemy.

It frightened her.

If he had really not wished to fight them, he should have just pulled the hood down and identified himself… why didn't he?

All she could remember after she was thrown to the ground was fearing for her life and then hearing Yuna call his name. Rikku remembered that she had tried to turn over at that point, but quickly stilled herself when Yuna came into her field of vision.

Propelled by their former friend's leg, Yuna was momentarily suspended in air. Then the force of it all really seemed to take effect and she twisted halfway about in the silence. Her body hit the ground a split second later, narrowly missing her neck.

Yuna was as still as death and just as quiet.

It was unnerving and Rikku would never forget that moment. She remembered hearing Auron's voice, but the words were foreign and made no sense to her. Then she felt someone pick her up, carrying her somewhere and, finally, consciousness had left her.

And now she sat aboard the stationary Celsius. She had woken up just a few minutes before, feeling sore but nothing more. Paine was beside her, but Yuna had yet to wake, her shoulder bandaged and injuries treated.

The moment they came returned to the ship, Tidus and Auron were no where to be found, leaving only more questions in their wake. It was small comfort, but it really did help to know that she wasn't the only one that felt so lost, in fact, all of their companions, former guardian or not, seemed as baffled as she was.

Vegnagun had been a fairly isolated event, and, even now, news of the near tragedy had not reached all the corners of Spira, but this seemed to be something much bigger. It had already flattened an island, and the protectors of Spira were, at this moment, helpless to stop it. Needless to say, Rikku felt like screaming.

---

Searing pain. That was really all Yuna felt, and she was grateful for it. If she concentrated on the pain, she didn't have to face the facts. She didn't have to see the face of the man she loved as he executed the finishing blow.

Yet, it was undeniably Tidus. His features were that of the man she loved, the eyes were darker, but they were the same orbs that had once looked lovingly at her … the eyes that now contained a type of loathing that made her want to cry forever.

He had attacked her. It was true, she had started the fight in a fit of rage, but it had been his choice to continue it or end it. Simply removing his hood would have made her stop, he must have known that, but yet, he chose not to. Did he want to fight her? Hurt her?

Why was he doing this? He was everything she had ever wanted, she adored him, and until just a few hours ago, she thought the feeling was mutual. She could pretend that it never happened, she could pretend that he still loved her. But it was no use, every time she tried to convince herself that it was a dream, the truth was there, staring her in the face.

Yuna wished it would stop, she wished to sleep forever. She longed to relive her old dream, the dream in which was she with Tidus.

But, at the same time, she knew her wish would not be heard, would not be granted. She could already feel the slight stirrings that mean that her body was coming to awareness. Now, she would have to face a reality in which the one who she loved had willingly tried to hurt her.

The possibility that it was all a mistake, all more misunderstanding, was still there, but she knew it wasn't true. This was reality. Harsh as it may be, it was truth.

The bi-colored orbs opened and she breathed in, feeling as if she had just awakened from a painful nightmare … and into an even more painful reality. For a few moments, she hovered on the edge of awareness, fighting to stay asleep, but a voice filtered through the haze and woke her completely.

"Yunie! Yunie! Are you alright? Are you awake?"

Yuna looked drowsily up at her cousin, mumbling something between a groan and a response, but Rikku seemed to take it.

"She's awake!" she announced, obviously overjoyed that her friend was recovering.

Almost immediately, several heads peered over at her, breathing sighs of relief. Questions flooded in, and they were such a jumble that Yuna didn't even try to understand them all. Minutes must have passed, because she heard the door to the large cabin open and then close and a loud familiar voice speak, making the girl forget her injuries and sit bolt upright.

"I see you're awake, my lady summoner," Auron greeted, but his face was stern and set in a frown. "We are all relieved."

Yuna's gaze, however, didn't stay on the grizzled guardian for long, but traveled to the person that stood by his side, uncloaked and staring shamelessly at her with a deep set scowl.

"Tidus …" she started to get up, but Paine held her back, staying herself so that she could look down on the duo.

"Why have you brought him here?" she demanded, her voice cold and her mannerisms final.

"Paine," Rikku nearly whined. "It's Tidus, I'm sure there's some kind of misunderstanding here."

Paine scoffed, "The Tidus you told me of was kind and gentle, this is not him. This is another ghost of a man who I'm starting to believe doesn't even exist!"

Yuna nearly choked on a sob. Was Paine right? Was this just another impostor? Was Tidus really just some delusion her guardians and her had shared?

The blond man sighed a bit and spoke softly, "I assure you I am Tidus."

Paine stiffened and even Rikku paused to watch him, perhaps longing for an explanation for his actions, one that Yuna wanted with every fiber of her being. It was obvious from his next words, however, than an apology was not what he had in mind.

"This is not the time or the place to discuss what has been done," the man continued. "This is the time when we must plan our next move. Apologies can wait. Schism will not."

His words made sense, of course, but that didn't leave Yuna any more satisfied, or Paine any more trusting.

"After you attacked us, we are to believe that you will help us just like that?" the silver-haired woman's eyes narrowed to the barest slits.

Tidus looked away, his eyes closed, and rubbed a temple as he spoke, "Yes. Just like that. I am bound by truce, and I do not seek to destroy or corrupt this world any more than it already is." He paused and looked up at her, "Beside the point, if memory serves, you attacked me first."

Yuna felt shamed by his words, and maybe that was what drove her to speak, "Let us hear him speak."

All heads turned to her in shock, but she did not look away. Tidus was the right, this was not the time for crying and arguing. In order to destroy Schism, they needed whatever knowledge Auron and Tidus could provide. Maybe then she could know what she had done to deserve the fiery emotion she saw in his eyes.

---

Tidus looked at the assembled faces. In addition to Auron, Yuna, and the rest of the initial guardians, there was the rude silver-haired woman, the clown from the platform, the priest, Cid, Brother, and two other Al Bhed that he had not yet learned the names of. Many of them sat at the bar, keeping their distance from him with obvious distaste.

It didn't offend him, to the contrary, he preferred it that way. Auron was the only one that really sat within a five foot radius of him and Yuna was skirting both men. Her eyes were constantly glued to him, longing in their depths, mixed with a deeply rooted confusion at his actions.

He sighed, he would set her straight soon enough. Tidus took another breath and spoke, "It might be easier if this were question and answer. I don't know where to begin."

"What is Schism?" the question was chirped before he had a chance to close his mouth, and he turned his head to Rikku, who immediately recoiled.

He nearly chuckled, if anything would inspire trust and harmony, it wouldn't be their fear of him, or the answer he would give, "I don't know."

"What do you mean?" Paine piped up.

"Just what I said," the man's eyes turned on her. "No one knows what exactly Schism is, only what it is capable of."

"And that would be…?" she pursued.

Tidus sighed a bit, this was going to take a while, "When it emerged a thousand years ago, all the people in the area were killed, disfigured, and all other manner of unpleasant things. It wasn't in corporeal form for more than just a few moments, but it successfully wiped out all of Zanarkand's residents and all those fighting in the Bevelle-Zanarkand War. Before it emerged, however, it corrupted Zanarkand to the point that precipitated the War and drove many people insane," he rubbed his forehead. "It created Sin from a summoner, defied the laws of mortality for a vain man, and brought on a war for a man who desired only power. Schism isn't something to be trifled with."

Silence greeted his words and Tidus was happy for it. He didn't want to get into details more than he had to. Trudging up memories would only serve to make them apprehensive and get him on edge.

It was a few minutes until someone spoke, and this time it was Auron, who was, Tidus noted with slight amusement, obviously a bit perturbed because of the younger man's choice to mention, even in passing, the former guardian's part in Schism's emergence.

"Yes, but the emergence last time was slow and calculated. It's happening much faster now," he leaned forward slightly. "Why?"

All ears perked up and Tidus resisted the urge to sigh again. If any time yet reached had been the most delicate, it would be now. The truth wasn't something easy to say, even now. But it had to be taken out into the open.

"Schism is held back by the attempts of the survivors to find redemption for their actions," Tidus's eyes gravitated toward Yuna. "Over a thousand years, all they managed to do was sate the beast, they did not solve the problem, but made it larger. Schism had a hard time emerging before then because Spira wasn't so twisted by the lies it is now."

"Lies?" the question came from one of the unfamiliar faces, the priest.

"Yes. In order to cover up Schism and appease it, these sinners withheld information, lied, cheated, stole, and did everything they could to tie up the loose ends Schism left in its wake. The Sending the summoners perform, for example, is not a way to guide spirits to the hereafter, it sends them straight to Schism. The Sending does not save the souls from being fiends, it _makes _them into fiends."

"That I find hard to believe," the priest bristled. "How could a traditional funeral rite a thousand years old be—"

"A thousand years, so if you believe what I've said before that to be true, then is it really a large stretch of the imagination to think that one of those sinners could have started the Sending tradition?"

The man shut his mouth, looking disgruntled and a little embarrassed.

"Whether you believe me or not really doesn't matter now," he sighed. "The sinners, with the final, defeat of Sin and their disappearance, have built a precarious peace. Things will never be the same because of the lies and the creation of fiends, but this world is stable. _Was _stable."

Yuna finally spoke up, "So, if I understand correctly, any little thing out of place would cause this peace to no longer exist?"

Tidus nodded, trying to feign indifference.

Auron didn't seem to be satisfied, "What went wrong?"

The blond man turned to the elder guardian, "Would the destruction of two innocents involved in the War qualify?"

The other man bristled, an obvious answer to the question, but he forced one word through gritted teeth, "Who?"

"Lenne and Shuyin," Tidus looked down at his hands.

Yuna's eyes bulged a bit and Paine and Rikku exchanged a look.

Auron looked away, a fist clenching, "Who did this?"

"The High Summoner."

---

**Author's Notes: **I'm sorry for the long update, I'll try to be faster. It's a short chapter, I know, but I should be faster with the next one. I'm so busy, but please be patient.

Please review, I really want to know how to get better, and I won't know unless you tell me.

I'll be looking forward to hearing from you

Rose Northe


	10. Schism Led

**Disclaimer: **What makes you think it's going to change this chapter?

Thank you to Nikki of Spira, FinalFantasyAngel92, ThePirateJilt, Warui-Usagi, -lidOol.fantaSee.gurl-, sRoze, and Isumo 1489, as well as my anonymous reviewers, Hiya and anon, for the reviews and continuing support! I really appreciate it.

I apologize for the dialogue last chapter, I will try to improve. By nature, I am a very formal speaking person, and thus, the explanation of Schism is coming out like a textbook, but please try to get through it and I will try to make it more true to the character.

There really is nothing else I have to say here, except that this is sort of an explanation chapter, but it is not _the_ explanation, that is still in the works.

I am sorry about the long wait, really I am. I was caught up in so many things I had no time to write. But I have been thinking about this story and now have the direction it is going firmly set.

For now know this: Things will come full circle and I have changed characters to make a legitimate point.

Please enjoy and please review.

**Tears of a Forgotten Summoner**

**Chapter Ten: Schism Led**

Yuna was speechless. Whatever she had expected, whatever she had prepared herself to hear, it wasn't that. Tidus was looking at her, his eyes boring into her soul, and suddenly she felt horribly exposed. Moments passed with no sound, no one dared even move, but, as with all things, the spell of silence ended and someone spoke up.

"You dare to tell _me_ that this is Yuna's fault?" Paine stood up, her teeth clenched and eyes blazing. "None of us have anything to do with this Schism!"

Tidus sighed and looked calmly up at the woman, waiting for the tirade that was to follow. On a whim, his eyes traveled to Yuna.

_Give me a reason_, he wanted to say. _Give me just one more reason and I'll be justified in taking your life._

"If anyone released that thing, it was you! You're the only who seems to know about it," she pointed a finger at him, her eyes narrowed. "Explain yourself before you try to attack our actions!"

The man rubbed his temples gently, they weren't going to believe him, he knew that now. No matter how long he spouted logic in their faces, they would always justify themselves by accusing him of lying. For this to work, for them to understand their own faults, he had to bring it into their world and show them the true extent of what they had done.

"Are you even listening to me?" the silver-haired woman demanded shortly. "I'm still talking to you!"

"No," Tidus stood, his voice commanding all the authority he could muster. "You are finished."

Paine seemed surprised, obviously unnerved by the sudden command. All eyes snapped to him, waiting for some inevitable explosion of rage from him. Maybe some act of violence. But Tidus only knew that that would justify them further in calling him some sort of monster.

Monster. Perhaps that was what he was. He had changed so many times and been forced to do so many things that he knew were wrong. But, beneath it all, he could remember a time when he was happy, when hope had a meaning, and when the world was not tangled in the huge web of lies it was steeped in now.

Deciding on his course, he suddenly changed his tact, turning to Rikku, "You were close to Vegnagun, were you not?"

Startled, she nodded.

"And, from what I've seen, you know quite a lot about machina."

She nodded again, biting her lip as she tentatively looked up at him.

"Tell me your opinion of Vegnagun."

"Vegnagun? It was a killing machine, something that shouldn't exist," she looked up, daring to look in his face.

Paine chose to interject at that moment, "Operated by that madman Shuyin."

There was a brief murmur of agreement attesting to his madness and lunacy. The man had to again force anger down and returned to concentrating on how to make them eat their words.

Tidus let his face lose some of the malice he had been exuding and looked back at Rikku, "Tell me your technical opinion, I mean. Was it a complicated machine?"

She seemed puzzled, but nonetheless answered truthfully, "Yes."

"Would you be able to operate it?"

Rikku almost jumped, "N-no, I wouldn't! Couldn't—!"

He cut her off with a wave of his hand, "I didn't mean that. Do you think you could operate it if you had to?"

A delicate frown crossed her face for a moment and she replied slowly, "I … think I would be able. But only after studying its make-up for a time."

"So you're saying that it would be hard to use?"

Again, she thought before answering, "Yes."

"Even then, you would have to concentrate hard to do it?"

"Yes," she blinked a few times. "I'd say that anyone who could hope to make it work would have to be very intelligent."

Tidus almost smiled; the trap was closing and she didn't even know it. It was obvious no one else had guessed what he was getting at either, none of them had had a fit of outrage, "Would you say then, that a person would have to be _sane_?"

"Sane? Frighteningly so," she said, a little confused at all these questions. "They'd have to be completely focused on what they were doing and what was happening around them."

At that point, Tidus really did smile, "So you're telling me that the madman who operated Vegnagun had to have been sane?"

Rikku started to speak, then choked a bit, thinking hard and fast.

Paine opened her mouth to speak out against him, but he silenced her with a look.

"And so, if Shuyin was sane, why did he choose to attack now?"

There was silence, exactly as he had predicted and the question hung in the air until Yuna opened her mouth.

"What are you getting at?"

Tidus rounded on her, but only gave logic not malice, "Shuyin lived and died a thousand years ago, if his spirit was only just put to rest last year, it stands to reason that he was waiting and planning his attack for a thousand years."

"But that has no bearing on anything!" Paine said defiantly, her eyes blazing.

"It does," the man sighed, thinking of how to word his next move. "If he were sane and determined to carry his plans through, he would try to grasp what was going on in the outside world so he would know when best to attack."

"That means nothing!" the silver-haired woman insisted heatedly.

"Yes, it does," Tidus rounded on her, allowing some of his anger to seep through the cool exterior he had had in place. "If you are half as powerful as you think, he would not have _dared_ attack in your lifetime," he took a step forward, forcing the woman to back up. "If you are half as powerful as you seem to think, he wouldn't have even tried it. He would have known that he wouldn't have stood a chance."

Paine's eyes narrowed, "I think you're forgetting who we are. We're the Gullwings and we defeated him. We destroyed his plans for destruction. We _are _that strong."

Tidus didn't press the point, but, rather, pursued the one he was trying to drive in, "But if Shuyin was sane and aware, he could have just as easily attacked during the confusion and chaos of Sin's reign, or during some Calm when everyone was unsuspecting?"

She didn't speak again, perhaps she was starting to accept some of the logic, and, in the silence, Tidus answered his own question.

"Because Shuyin wasn't acting of his own accord."

Yuna was desparately trying to take all of it in, attempting to understand what the man was getting at when he turned to her.

"High Summoner Yuna."

She nearly flinched at the formal tone.

"From what I understand from rumors and accounts of your adventures, you and your Gullwings searched our world twice or even three times over?"

She nodded, looking up into his blue eyes.

"Did it ever seem that you were at a dead end? And then the next time you visited the same place, something was there, painfully obvious, that suggested where to look next?"

As silly as that sounded, when the woman thought about it, it was exactly as he had described. Every time they had run into a dead end, something had presented itself to them to show the way … almost as if they were being led…

Tidus's voice grew soft, "When you look back on it, do you ever think that if you didn't do anything that nothing would have happened in the first place?"

Yuna nearly jumped, her eyes widening a bit as she considered the possibility.

"This has nothing to do with the task at hand!" Paine insisted, the only one that was fighting the logic with anger.

"It does," the voice didn't come from Tidus, it was Auron who spoke.

All eyes left Tidus for the weathered man as he continued.

"Lenne and Shuyin died a thousand years ago during the Forgotten War," his voice was soft, reflective.

"A war?" Rikku's voice chimed in. "Between who?"

"Bevelle and Zanarkand," Auron said, and before the girl got a chance to say that there was no war between the cities a thousand years ago, he continued. "It's amazing what time can do, how the simply omitting some information and covering up other pieces of it will cause events in history to simply be forgotten."

Rikku's eyes were wide, but she said nothing.

"It was in the war that Schism emerged," Auron closed his eyes, as if thinking of something that had happened long ago, but still was fresh enough to cause pain. "They were caught up in the greed of the Schism Led," his teeth gritted a bit, "the Sinners that unwittingly helped Schism emerge. They were thrust into the middle of it all and Schism was acting through and around them, thus binding itself to them and their actions, even having a little influence, but they resisted and were able to stay free of his control until their death.

"But even as their mortal bodies perished, their attachment to both Schism and Vegnagun remained. You see, the lies and cover-ups were designed to diminish Schism's power in this world and to keep it bound. After a thousand years, the Sinners were finally able to sever most of its influence, but it is a precarious balance, easily broken," he sighed a bit.

Tidus picked up the thread with not a beat in between, "When you found your spheres, they were isolated occurrences, or so they seemed to be. More than likely, those artifacts were linked in some way to Schism, whether it actually was in contact with them, or they showed images of those it had manipulated, the effect was the same: Schism could act through them again."

He took a breath, looking at Yuna, "Those clues you found were planted by Schism, you were following a rope as it was being braided. To counteract the lies the Sinners had made to seal it, Schism twisted the truth of Lenne and Shuyin until it was just fodder for you to continue your senseless crusade!"

All three Gullwings and the others in the room all looked shocked at his sudden abandon of the fairly calm exterior he had been displaying.

"Schism led you in upsetting the balance, it led you to free it and you didn't know the difference! You just wanted an adventure so damn bad that you abandoned all your duties to the world you just saved! I had hoped that all the rumors and stories I heard were false, but no, I see they are all true."

The room was speechless, even Auron raised an eyebrow at Tidus's continuing tirade … but he didn't move to stop it either.

"Sphere hunters? How could the savior of Spira be so reckless? How?"

Rikku stepped up, "We are not reckless! We try our best!"

"'Your best'? Tell me, your best at what? What have you done? What have you done to make Spira better?"

"We destroyed Vegnagun!"

"No, you destroyed two souls and released Schism. You are Schism led! You have damned us all!"

Yuna's eyes were wide, her body starting to shake.

Paine joined in, "Everything she does, does not have to be for the betterment of Spira."

"Yes," Tidus said vehemently. "But it shouldn't destroy Spira either. Did you not realize that you were pushing too hard at what you were doing? Did you not know that you were dabbling in what was forbidden?"

Auron stood, "That is quite enough. Now, I think they understand at least a little more." With that he took Tidus aside, leaving the room full of the bewildered people.

Tidus's train of thought broken, he latched onto the new question and gave a quick answer to the other man, "We have to keep Schism from forming the circle."

Auron rubbed his temples, "Then we need not worry yet, it took Schism decades to form the circle last time."

"I wouldn't be so sure, it has the three original Sinners, it can still form the circle, it's just a matter of getting all three close enough to make it work," Tidus bowed his head. "It will try to use what it already has. If I were Schism, I'd be using the two that have the least control over where they go, Jecht and Yu Yevon, then give up on you and try to get another Sinner to join it."

Auron seemed to accept this as truth, "Then we need to lure Yu away from Jecht, that should buy us enough time to find out what to do."

Tidus nodded in agreement, waiting for the other man to say more, which he undoubtedly would.

"We need bait," he mused. "As it is now, Yu has no control over what he does, Schism has more of a hold than his own mind. He will act only on instinct, anger perhaps."

"You're asking me to be the bait."

Auron couldn't help but smirk, "Of course."

The young man considered for a moment then nodded, "Very well, but know that I will do this in my own way, you have no power over me."

With that, he swept past the man, trusting that Auron would take care of their direction, just wanting to be alone now. He had told them, he had shared some of his anger … but yet, why did he feel so empty?

Unseen by Tidus, Auron smiled a bit to himself, "I would not have it any other way."

---

**Author's Notes: **Well… that was hard to write. I knew what to say but I just couldn't seem to get it on paper. Another short one, I apologize. I hope it was alright. As always, constructive criticism and comments are greatly appreciated.

Next Chapter: The Forgotten Summoner

I'll look forward to hearing from you.

Rose Northe


	11. The Forgotten Summoner

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing.

Thank you for reviewing Nikki of Spira, ThePirateJilt, Warui-Usagi, -lidOol.fantaSee.gurl-, FinalFantasyAngel92, Ratiasu, Little Pyrefly, Princess Star Neko, Lisilgirl, and PlatypusCraze. It means a lot to me.

It really has been a while, I apologize. Everything is going crazy on my end and moments to myself have become rare. I will endeavor to update more frequently, and thank you very much for your patience.

As for Tidus's out of character state, I promise that things will come full circle soon.

Please enjoy and please review.

**Tears of a Forgotten Summoner**

**Chapter Eleven: The Forgotten Summoner**

They were to set up a decoy… or that was what Yuna had come to understand about the situation.

The Gullwings were sitting near the High Summoner's bed in the wake of all the information they had just heard, each one trying to make sense out of it. After Auron's unexpected stand, the two men had exited, but only the elder male returned, giving them a brief explanation of their next move. And just like that, they were under way, flying toward Sin's current location over the ocean.

When questioned, Auron had said a few words clarifying _why_ they were doing this, but when Yuna tried to understand their reasoning, she started to wish that he hadn't said anything.

From what he had said, Schism couldn't emerge on its own, it needed the energy and help of those around it, and for that Schism needed to form a circle, a sort of magical summoning with energy from points called 'Sinners' on the outer edges. For this to happen, it must have more than two sources, or else the 'circle' would become a 'line' and thus wouldn't work.

Apparently, when Schism emerged a thousand years ago, it had three Sinners. For the circle to work, the Sinners didn't actually need to _do _anything, they just had to be near to each other. The more energy, the larger the circle and larger the area in which is existed.

It was confusing and frankly, Yuna was frustrated with it.

But, luckily, Auron had also given it in a nutshell. Schism couldn't emerge unless all three Sinners were in the same place at the same time. It could also make more Sinners if need be, but it was highly doubtful Schism would have the time to, as it took several decades to make the three Sinners he had.

Bottom line, they had to distract Sin from getting near Zanarkand. Yuna accepted that as fact and had agreed to help in any way possible, but that wasn't what kept dragging her mind down.

It was Tidus.

He had yelled, accused her, said terrible things that made her want to cry, told her she was inferior, and, above all, didn't seem to share her feelings at all. Would things remain this way? Was she doomed to have him right there beside her, but so far away at the same time? The thought was almost too much to bear. But there had to be a way to fix it, right?

"That was all a load of nonsense!" Rikku exclaimed, abruptly shaking the woman out of her thoughts. "None of it makes any sense!"

Paine crossed her arms, joining in, "All he did was spit accusations at us with no founding whatsoever. There was no proof, just speculation."

Yuna wanted to believe Tidus was in the wrong, she really did, but something kept her from trusting in it totally.

"What could he gain by lying?" the summoner's soft voice startled the two and they both stared wide-eyed at her, trying to voice a retort.

The blonde succeeded first, "But none of it is true!"

"If you think about it," Yuna continued, hardly believing what she was saying. "Some of it makes sense. Why did Shuyin attack now if he knew we would be there to stop him? Why didn't he just attack when we were dealing with Sin? We would've been easily defeated."

Rikku's mouth worked like a fish's out of water.

Paine spoke this time, "But if what he said is true, a great deal of all our lives have been spent under a lie … Sin, the Calm … your pilgrimage."

Yuna felt herself nod stiffly, her throat dry no matter how many times she swallowed, "If he is right, then all of that was planned from the start to seal Schism away."

"That's not true and you know it," the Al Bhed said sternly. "We lived through all of it, it couldn't have just been some manipulation."

The woman looked up at her comrades, "But if it wasn't, why is Tidus acting like this?"

"Maybe it's not Tidus," Paine offered. "We've been fooled before."

"It is him," Yuna said quietly, frustrating the silver-haired woman to no end.

"You've been mistaken before!" Paine snapped. "You swore that Shuyin was Tidus, and we all know what happened there. Maybe you don't know him as well as you think."

The words stung and Yuna bit her lip. Paine was right of course, it could all be some sick lie, a twist of fate. But Yuna knew what she saw and felt.

The Tidus from her pilgrimage was pure and innocent, his actions compassionate and light-hearted. The summoner couldn't help but wish that this new Tidus was the lie. On her pilgrimage, she really knew him, and during that time, she sensed the sadness and loss in him, but it was never like this, never. From her standpoint, his personality back then seemed the real one, the closet to his inner self.

And, who knew, maybe she was right.

---

The ship slowed down significantly as it approached its target, the palms of Brother and Buddy already wet from the realization of what they were about to do. They were about to bait Sin, an entity they had been brought up to fear and despise. Auron knew that they were nervous, of course, no one, even himself, was completely at ease in this situation, and thus he did not push them forward when they dimmed the engines so that the ship would hover.

"That's close enough," he said quietly, there was no need to speak loudly, everyone was silent anyway.

There, scarcely a few thousand meters from the ship's hull, was Sin in all its glory, its gigantic body white against the dramatic backdrop of dark clouds. Auron expected no less, the last time Schism emerged, the sky was eternally black, but the man still took hope in the fact that these clouds still had a silver lining. Though, if they did not act fast, it would soon disappear.

With a few scant movements, Auron was before the screen that displayed the upper deck via commsphere. The sphere was positioned so that it provided a panoramic view of the deck which in turn showed Tidus, his hair whipping in the winds as he waited for Auron to give the word.

A crackle of static announced that the camera like apparatus was indeed on and Tidus turned to it, studying the image of Auron.

"We're ready," the man said between bursts of noise and the blonde man gave a curt nod, stepping away from the sphere and toward the middle of the platform.

Auron couldn't help but smile, if anything could get Yu's attention, it was this.

---

Yuna couldn't help but bite her lip as Tidus readied himself. She knew full well that Rikku, Paine, and herself should be on the bridge now, but she couldn't bring herself to stand still and do nothing. The woman was sure that Tidus hadn't seen them yet, in fact, he seemed completely absorbed in his own thoughts.

From everything that he had said, the Gullwings heard loud and clear that he thought them essentially worthless. It angered Paine, irked Rikku, and saddened Yuna. Now she could only think of how to prove him wrong, to show him that she wasn't helpless and maybe then he would accept her again.

If she understood the plan as much as she thought she did, the three Sinners were still around and were once again in danger of reviving Schism. Sin was one of them and if they could somehow distract him from getting closer to the other Sinner, then they would have some time to think up a new plan of action.

That's where the Gullwings planned to deviate from Auron's plan. As soon as Sin was in range, the trio would use the glider Rikku swiped from the engine room and attack. They destroyed the beast once; they could do it again and prove to Tidus that they weren't helpless or to blame.

At least, that's what she hoped would happen. There was still a lingering doubt in the back of her mind that they were getting in way over their heads; that they were meddling in something they didn't understand.

With an effort, Yuna shook it off, it didn't matter anymore, they were committed now and no matter what, they were going to go through with it. Chewing on her lip again, the woman watched as Tidus walked to the center of the area, his sword drawn and at his side.

Her eyes narrowed as she observed him take a deep breath, as if preparing, then slowly, he raised the blade horizontal in front of him, his left arm lifted as well as if to touch the metal. Yuna resisted the urge to gasp as she recognized the stance.

Summoning.

She stared, transfixed as he moved slowly, his body following the patterns she had worked so hard to memorize. It was undoubtedly the same ritual, but as he went through the motions, she couldn't help but notice that he wasn't following the tradition as strictly as he should have.

Every so often, his arm would extend a little too far, or not far enough, then the sword would be at the wrong angle time and time again. She shook her head slightly, it was happening too often to be an idle mistake, Tidus was doing it on purpose.

The Summoning circle appeared nonetheless, the runes swirling as they should, but Yuna couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. He was purposely invoking something beyond the actual Summoning.

She could hear her teammates gasp, but she ignored them, unable to tear her eyes away as the form of the same guardian dragon she had summoned many times slowly appeared. The Summoning was at a close, but Tidus didn't stop moving. Something else was forming in front of the Summon now, the edges of it blurred and indistinct, but becoming more and more tangible by the second.

Yuna resisted the urge to creep forward to get a better look, knowing that if she did he would have a better chance of noticing them, but, even so, she couldn't keep herself from shifting to get a better look. The shadowy form was undoubtedly one of human shape, small, like a child's.

Tidus seemed to be straining to complete what he was doing, as if some great force was resisting him. Yuna nearly jumped as a small pinprick of light appeared beside her, but calmed as soon as she recognized it as a Pyrefly. She looked back up to Tidus and immediately did a double take.

Pyreflies swarmed everywhere around the Aeon and Summoner, as if trying to prevent Tidus's second summoning, but the man didn't give up, continuing to strain against whatever barrier he wished to surpass.

Moments passed, the glowing things flitting around almost in a panic, then were abruptly thrust out of the Summoning circle, their movement making an odd, keening noise that made Yuna grit her teeth. With the way partially clear, the ex-summoner could see clearly into the circle, but she wasn't ready to see what was there.

The Fayth. The same one that had appeared countless times on their journey was standing in front of the Aeon it was a part of as if it were the most natural thing in the world. But, how? The Fayth were supposed to have faded, the Aeons with them, but yet, here they were, right next to a man that was supposed to be dead.

---

Tidus was conscious of the small droplets of sweat on his brow, but he didn't dare stop the Summoning to prevent them falling into his eyes. The Summoning he remembered was so different from those practiced today, and the Aeons were so bound and limited by the unfortunate souls of the Fayth.

When Schism had emerged, he had done so in the ocean near Zanarkand, Tidus could still hear people scream when he thought of it. It was during the Forgotten War, a time of conflict between Bevelle and Zanarkand, the two great cities literally murdering each other, but when Schism came, it made no distinction between them.

It took a great deal of energy for that creature to emerge, and when it did, that energy was released in great waves. A grim smile spread over his face, the Sinners' pact with Schism had been slowly degrading their city, but if their mistakes had made Zanarkand a nightmare, Schism made it a living hell.

The soldiers, the civilians, even the buildings were instantly transformed. Stone crumbled and fell, weapons turned on their creators, flesh became stone and shattered. Just the memory of it still made the man's blood run cold. In this instance, dying was the least of those people's problems. Schism's power went far beyond death.

The very essence of the people, their souls, their consciousness, was thrown from their bodies to drift, crystallizing. What was left of them were contorted endlessly; Pyreflies, the wretched messengers of Schism itself, swarmed, transforming the remains into fiends. Those further out from the epicenter were instantly petrified, their will and minds still intact.

Temples that held the great summoning beasts in esteem were struck as well, the spirits of the Aeons cast out from the shells they had inhabited for so long, injured by the presence of Schism. To avoid dying, they merged with those petrified, thus binding their powers.

Fayth.

Tidus raised his sword again for another symbolic pass, going past what Yuna had used to summon Bahamut, his hand turning at the angle he had been trained to do so long ago. This was not the usual summoning tradition, it was the one that had been used to summon the unbound Aeons. A thousand years ago, the great beasts were not the consciousnesses of those who had once walked upon Spira, but beings greater than any Spiran could imagine, and only forged bonds with those lower than them so that they could escape Schism's ravages.

If he completed the summon as it was supposed to be, then that bond would be broken, then that small boy he had known so long ago would be free.

Tidus brought the sword down again, breathing deeply before swinging it to the side again. His eyes closed for a brief moment and when they opened again all he could see was the swarming rainbow of colors that Pyreflies exuded. He had to stop a smirk from spreading on his face.

Schism was trying to stop him. That meant that it recognized him as a threat, recognized that he might succeed. The man sighed a bit, trying to banish the tension in his body to increase his chance of actually breaking the bond. He continued moving though, losing hope each step. The Pyreflies weren't dispersing, Schism was dampening his Summoning.

He cast his eyes to the ground and found himself staring at a small transparent boy. Pangs of nostalgia hit Tidus and he nearly stepped toward the boy, but stopped short. The Pyreflies were gone, this was his only chance.

The ex-guardian raised his sword high then immediately brought it back down, the tip hitting the metal platform not with the piercing effect many would have expected, but left no scar on the surface and made no sound. A small magical circle stemmed from where the sword had impacted setting the lines of the larger Summoning circle alight.

Tidus brought the sword up and horizontal to the ground, his eyes closing. Beneath his feet the lines of the circle stretched, wrapping and crossing, shining with the power that was being released.

Bahamut screamed and the Fayth's voice joined his, the Aeon itself changing. The large dragon's wings stretched, becoming silver, netted together with delicate bone structure and spanning off the edges of the ship. The Aeon's body streamlined, the tail and neck lengthening.

It was a grand sight, a delicate, beautiful, yet deadly dragon, its image enhanced by the glowing lines of the Summoning circle beneath it.

---

Auron felt a growl grow in the back of his throat as he watched the screen. His eyes were not on the Summoning though, instead, they were on the three young women hiding on the far edge of the ship, a small glider by them.

He stood, storming out of the bridge, but no one seemed to notice, they were all too involved with the drama unfolding in front of them. The growl grew into a snarl as he realized what the Gullwings were planning, and that he was a little too late to stop them.

Yu had undoubtedly sensing the Summoning, a Summoning done in the tradition of a thousand years past, no less, and was honing in on their position. As soon as he was in range, it would be a matter of child's play for the three young women to use the glider and reach the beast. He knew that they believed that they could defeat Sin just as they had three years ago, but that was far from the truth.

Sin was something like an Aeon, infinitely powerful, but when weighted down with the burden of Fayth, the Final Summon, it becomes weak, relying heavily on the soul of the trapped Aeon. The victory three years ago was a carefully planned and executed strike, one that had roots tracing back at least thirteen years ago.

In order to prevent Schism from ever emerging again, the last step of the Sinners was to put themselves beyond reach. For that reason, Jecht allowed himself to become the Final Aeon, binding Sin and weakening himself. Ten years later Auron himself led them to destroy Sin by first destroying the Final Aeon, setting Jecht beyond Schism's reach, then attacking Yu himself, who was still reeling from the shock of losing the power it had previously relied on. After that, Auron requested that Yuna Send him, and, although taken away by Pyreflies, the servants of Schism, he was no longer 'alive' and, thus, of no use to Schism.

Now Schism revived all three Sinners by renewing the Pact made a thousand years ago. It was true, Auron himself had the power Schism had granted, not in its weakened, fluctuating way, but at its peak. Jecht had his wish as well, to the fullest and most terrifying extent. It only made sense to assume that Yu had been granted all the power he was granted by Schism, an undying power that only after a thousand years of scheming were the other Sinners able to destroy. That power was now back to its original form, and three women, oblivious to what they were doing, were headed straight for it.

They were like animals headed unknowingly to their own slaughter.

---

Tidus looked down at the small child that was sprawled on the ground. The bond was broken; he was free … at least for the time being. The man looked up, watching as the small blur that was Sin headed their way. As soon as it was near enough, Bahamut was to be sent out to lead it somewhere over the sea and keep it as stationary for as long as was possible. Sin was almost there, it was only a matter of a few minutes and then they could finally decide on a way to end this once and for all.

The door hissed open and Tidus whirled, seeing Auron emerge, but that wasn't what drew his eyes. Yuna, Rikku, and Paine were lurking around a corner, a metal device underfoot. He couldn't believe that he had been so absorbed that he didn't notice them.

Auron started toward the three and Tidus chanced a glance back at Sin, the beast now coming into the range that the glider was built for…

Tidus turned toward them, a shout lost in his throat as the three held onto the glider, taking off. Auron ran a few steps, but no more, stopping near the other man and making no further attempt to stop them. The blonde man gritted his teeth, starting forward, trying to stop them even though it was too late.

An arm clamped about Tidus's front, preventing him from going any further, and he looked back at Auron, "Why? We have to stop them!"

The red clad man calmly shook his head, "Let them go."

Panic raced through Tidus's veins and he searched the sky for the women again, "… but Yuna—!"

Auron held firm, "It's too late." His voice and face was impassive.

"How can you say that? She could _die_!"

"Calm yourself!" he said harshly. "Let them be! They are of no use to us as they are now, you said so yourself. This will be good for them…"

Tidus hung his head, "That's just like you… 'Whatever almost kills you, makes you stronger'."

---

**Author's Note: **Well, I can't say that I'm completely happy with this chapter. I have been having more than a few difficulties in my life to date, and more than a few continuing projects that divide my attention and stress me completely out, and so, I apologize for the lateness of the update and will try to update more regularly.

As for the chapter and story… how do you think it's going? Is there anything you like? Dislike? Downright loathe? Please review.

I'll be looking forward to hearing from you

Rose Northe


	12. Souls Aren't Toys

**Disclaimer: **Just like the meaning of the word 'disclaimer'.

Thank you to –lidOol.fantaSee.gurl-, Warui-Usagi, ThePirateJilt, final frost bite fantasy, and Iluvmoogles. This time around, there was a significant drop in reviews, and so I ask, was it because of something in the chapter or story itself, or something else? Let your opinions be heard, message me or leave a review, please.

It's been a while. Writer's block sucks. Posting on this site from me has gone down to next to nothing, the reason being that I have no time to myself and I have been having major reconsiderations on the directions my stories are taking, this one included. After a while of considering, I decided that this story in particular will continue on its intended path, the one I made with the idea for this story.

Enjoy and please review.

**Tears of a Forgotten Summoner**

**Chapter Twelve: Souls Aren't Toys**

The trio moved swiftly, if they could just find the core, Yu Yevon, it would be over in a matter of minutes…

Despite the impending fight, Yuna could not seem to keep her mind clear and focused. She knew that this was what he wanted. He wanted what was broken to be whole again, and this was the only way she saw that she could remedy it. This was the only way to repair both the world, and the relationship that meant more than everything…

Yet why was she hesitating?

There was something wrong, she could feel it, they didn't know the entire story. For a moment she entertained the notion that Auron was once again withholding information, but quickly shook it away, even if he was, what could she do about it?

Helpless.

The word flashed through her mind and she hurriedly tried to squelch it, but the damage was already done. What if what she'd been doing the three years after Tidus's disappearance really was the cause of everything, and the cause for the eventual destruction of Spira as they knew it? She had caused it all and now she was helpless to stop it.

The woman pushed it from her mind, she had to concentrate, wavering now would get her no where. To further distract herself, she readied a Dressphere, unnecessary beams of light that hurt if they were looked at too long leapt from her body, transforming her into a Black Mage.

Clutching her staff, she continued running with nary a beat. Another thought crossed her mind: What were the Dresspheres? Shinra told them that he had invented them, but she was fairly sure that he'd never been a Mascot, Black Mage, White Mage, Warrior, Thief, or any other of the occupations the spheres let them assume, so where did the knowledge come from? The knowledge in those spheres allowed them to know instantly how to feint, parry, thrust, cast spells of destruction as well as healing…

It didn't make any sense.

"He's here!" Rikku called out, breaking Yuna's train of thought and bringing her back to reality.

Indeed, he was

Their surroundings were surreal, but different from the world they had once met Yu Yevon in before. It was all soft colors, nothing seemingly solid anywhere, in fact, she couldn't even seem to feel what she was running on. In truth, Yuna didn't know where they were, it was as if they were led straight to him by some incomprehensible force. She even felt detached from her body, as if all of this were happening in a dream.

There, just as they predicted, Yu Yevon waited for them. He appeared not in the form they had encountered him in before, an indistinct ball of dark energy, but took on a more human shape. It was a middle-aged man in the robes of a summoner. He looked out of sorts, his face must have been a kind one once and his demeanor a welcoming one, but now dark energy practically crackled about him and a deranged grin made its home on his face.

It was unnerving, Yuna realized distantly as her and her companions readied for battle, he seemed to have known that they were coming, what they hoped to accomplish, and yet he took no steps to defend himself. Again, the feeling of wrongness struck Yuna, perhaps this wasn't such a good idea…

Without warning, Paine charged, Rikku on her heels. Yuna almost sighed, if they hadn't been in too deep to turn back before, they were now. Pushing aside her doubts, she immediately starting casting, mustering the power to bring forth elemental forces. It was odd not being able to feel the power she was conjuring, this place was like a dead zone, cutting off all feelings. She wondered if she could feel anything at all.

Paine's sword came down with a snarl from the silver haired woman, a grunt of challenge, but Yu Yevon didn't seem to notice her and the sword simply stopped in mid-air, not harming a hair on his head. The smile on his face widened and Yuna's mind reeled as she power in her hands died away, no longer being sustained by her will, she was frozen, and a quick look at Rikku showed the same results.

It happened so fast that Yuna couldn't have predicted it if she had wanted to, one moment they were all frozen in the relative calm of Yevon's presence, then… well there was a blinding light, and then Yuna got the answer to her question.

In this place she could feel pain.

---

Tidus knelt by the trio of unconscious women, a hand touching Yuna's hair tentatively. Inwardly, he chided himself, he had been so determined to hate her, and her part in the rebirth of Schism helped tremendously, but still he found himself caring for her.

All three of them had gone after Sin, but Yu Yevon had never actually engaged them in battle. Here they laid, on the soft grass of the Calm Lands near the shore and in plain view of the Celsius, which still hovered over the ocean, watching the stalemate between Sin and Tidus's Aeon.

Yevon had seen them coming, knew their intentions, but instead of facing them directly, he used a minor mind trick, showing them a fraction of his power in a place that only existed in their minds. It was a simple trick for him, something that required no relatively no effort on his part, but it had defeated them all the same.

In truth, Tidus actually wished that Sin had confronted them head on, not because they would have been killed (which would have been inevitable from that kind of contact), but because the monster knew that it could defeat them with its most paltry tricks.

It didn't see them as a threat.

---

Yuna's eyes fluttered as her body slowly woke, her mind returning to reality. At first, the only thing she felt was the residual panic from her encounter with Yu Yevon, but then she realized that she was once again aboard the Celsius, the only visible sign that that battle had not been a dream being the fact that she was in the Black Mage Dressphere.

As she looked about, she immediately spotted Auron, who was looking down on her, not saying anything, but his eyes saying it all, he was seething. A few feet away from him was Tidus, who, in contrast to the other man, was not looking at her, instead content to stare into space. When she heard rustling on the adjacent beds, the ex-summoner looked around, observing to her great relief that both her companions were alive, well, and waking up.

"I see you've all come around," Auron said, startling Tidus back to reality, the man looking at them once again.

Yuna swallowed, her tongue feeling impossibly thick in her mouth, "Yes."

He seemed to want to berate her, but he restrained himself, "I think what you did wrong goes without saying."

Paine groaned, narrowing her eyes, "And what exactly is that?" Her tone was bitter, biting, and Yuna would have just as soon told her to put a cork in it had she been able to.

"Well," the man's eyebrow arched. "For one you tried to be the hero and could have gotten yourselves killed."

"The world needs heroes."

"No, Spira needs calm rational thought right now," Auron snapped back at her. "If we all tried to selfishly take the weight of the world on our shoulders, we'd all die. Think about it, or are you that eager to be demoted to 'martyr'?"

Paine wisely kept her mouth shut.

The red clad man sighed, looked around at Yuna, thoughtful. If the High Summoner had any inkling of what was going on in that man's head, she would have predicted that he was going through half a dozen comments before settling on the one he would use.

"By the way," he said softly, "when did you have time to change clothes?"

"Clothes?" she asked weakly, then realized that he was referring to the Dressphere, something that he still did not know about. "Oh, it's a Dressphere."

Auron heaved a sigh, "And that is…?"

"A sphere that contains the power of the class it represents. Like this one," she gestured to herself, "is Black Mage."

"Dress … sphere?" the disdain was evident in his tone. "And they work?"

Yuna nodded, glad that she was able to present something of worth. To illustrate her point, she stood unsteadily, then, with an effort, switched back to her own clothes. Again the lights, colors, and magic swirled, transforming her back.

Both the males' eyebrows raised in unison. Auron stared and Tidus opted to look away.

A moment of silence stretched between the two parties, then Auron breathed, "Even the whores of old Bevelle were never so bold… indecent."

Tidus still didn't look at her, but instead spoke to the wall, "You could have warned us, we could have left."

A wash of shame, like cold water threatened to overwhelm her. Auron's eyes pierced her, making her feel suddenly exposed and vulnerable, Tidus hadn't even glanced at her, but she could only imagine the expression on his face.

"And do they really grant the wearer the powers of that class?" Auron inquired, but his voice sounded more like an accusation than a simple question.

"Yes, and no adverse effects except…" she bit her lip, wishing that he wouldn't look at her so, but compelled to tell him everything, the entire truth.

"Except?" he pressed.

"Well, when I wear them for too long I start to feel like a different person… my memories are muddled with that other person's… it's unnerving," she fidgeted slightly.

Auron looked at the small spheres at her belt, an unreadable expression on his face, then averted his eyes, a fist clenching. Yuna was about to ask when the man turned on his heel, walking away.

The woman was still for a moment, trying to digest what had just happened, when Tidus turned to walk away as well, though less violently than Auron. She marveled at him for an instant, then lurched to her feet, following him down the stairs.

"Tidus?"

His head turned slightly, glancing over his shoulder as he continued his stride, not giving her his full attention, but good enough for Yuna.

"What's going on? W-Why are you angry now?"

"You know why I'm angry in the long run, your negligence has almost destroyed this world," his voice was so certain and firm that she almost dropped the subject right there.

"I mean about the Dresspheres…"

He abruptly stopped, the hall empty around them, and turned to her, "You really don't know?"

She shook her head.

He sighed, but it wasn't anger that emanated from him, it was frustration, "There is no such thing as 'instant knowledge'."

"What?"

"Knowledge of any type has to come from somewhere, and most often it is from experience and teachings. The knowledge in those spheres… what allows you to take on their abilities, had to come from somewhere."

"Yes, I know that," she answered truthfully, it was obvious that this knowledge hadn't just appeared, but as to exactly where it came from, she had no real idea.

He nodded in acknowledgement, "And doesn't it bother you that these skills are not your own? Take away the spheres, and what do you have?" He stepped forward, at a proximity that made her cheeks heat. "If I were to take them from you right now, could you fight? Could you survive?"

"I-I don't know…" she straightened, determined to show him that she knew what she was doing. "But shouldn't I use everything that is available to me? To protect Spira?"

"Yes, that's true, but from what I've seen, these spheres haven't been used exclusively to this purpose, the frivolous things you do with them far outweighs their usefulness."

She gasped, insulted, "I'll have you know that I—"

Tidus didn't allow her to finish her statement, "Did you not notice that there were three distinct factions in this world that were vying for supremacy? Did you miss the fact that they were close to coming to blows? Did you not understand the threat they posed?"

"I-I… We defeated Vegnagun!"

"A paltry victory seeing as you precipitated the attack with your meddling," he snapped. "And beside the point, if you were so focused on the well-being of your people, why didn't you use the mercy that goes along with the White Mage to generate morale? Why didn't you use the knowledge of the Black Mage to avoid conflict? Why didn't you use your own abilities to lead your people?"

The woman stumbled back, her eyes wide, "T-Tidus…"

"_What can I do for you?_"

Yuna flinched visibly as the words filtered in from the lounge on the other side of the hall, and the door opened to admit Brother, throwing into stark relief the recording of LeBlanc's impersonation of Yuna, the dancing, the singing, everything.

"But instead of saving your people, you insist on shaking your backside for all Spira to see."

She fumbled a bit, then managed a retort, "That wasn't me! That was Leblanc! She impersonated me by stealing the Garment Grid!"

His eyebrow arched, "Garment Grid? Either way, all of Spira _believed_ that that was you up there, accepting that this is what their High Summoner would do. How do you explain that?"

"I-I…"

"And if stealing your Garment Grid, or whatever it is, allows anyone to impersonate you? You're telling me that right now, _I_ could snatch the stupid thing off you, 'magically transform' into anything I want, rub myself on any passing stranger, and be accepted by Spira?!"

"Well, n-no…"

"And someday the time will come when you have to ask yourself where your skills end and where the skills you've stolen begin."

She was at a loss for words, simply staring.

"Where does the power come from?" he asked, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "Just venture a guess."

"I-I… don't know."

"They're souls, Yuna. You're taking the talents, emotions, and overall identity of a person long dead and wearing them on your head like a crown."

---

**Author's Note:** Well, that's the end of the chapter. Like? Not Like? Loathe? Please review.

I'll be looking forward to hearing from you

Rose Northe


	13. A Story of Downfall

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Final Fantasy, and frankly, I really wouldn't want to.

Thank you for all the reviews, your encouragement is important to me.

Alright, I shall be blunt. This story is not a canon-fic, it's not a story of happy love, and it's most definitely not the most uplifting thing you'll ever read in your life. What this story is, is a satire. Plain and simple. So I bid you, take it for what it is and expect nothing more.

Please enjoy and please review.

**Tears of a Forgotten Summoner**

**Chapter Thirteen: A Story of Downfall**

To say that Yuna was speechless was an understatement. To say that Yuna was frustrated was also an understatement. To say that Yuna was angry was a potentially dangerous understatement.

How dare he talk to her like that? He addressed her as if she were nothing but a common bar maid, and worse. She was the High Summoner!

Her measured steps transformed into a stalk as she came back into the room where Rikku and Paine waited. Vaguely she remembered that there had been some strife between them, but she disregarded it, their problems couldn't be as pressing as the new development, and beside the point, the disagreement seemed to have been forgotten.

What was worse was that she didn't know how to fix the problem at hand. Nothing seemed to help, it all just seemed to make him more and more angry with her. Scattered thoughts made their way to her, he was just being mean. Of course she didn't deserve what he told her, there was no truth to it. She was perfect in every way. Strong, determined, beautiful, she had it all.

But if that was true, why did she feel like she was lying to herself?

---

Tidus took deep calming breaths. As much as he hated to admit it, talking to her like that made a lump rise in his throat and his eyes cloud. He shook his head, but it was necessary. She needed to hear this, she needed to know what she was really doing, and then, and only then, would she have a chance of understanding and destroying Schism. He leaned back against the wall, allowing himself to slide down it and into a sitting position.

"Why are you doing this?" a physical voice echoed his concerns and he couldn't stop himself from jerking slightly as his gaze swung to fall on the Fayth, who, by all accounts, should have faded after the separation from the Aeon.

Tidus opened his mouth to ask, but the boy put up a hand, preferring to answer without the question.

"I am here because Schism is here. It is back and it is gaining power quickly, that alone is enough to tie me here for a little longer."

The young man's mouth formed a silent 'o' and he looked away, but the Fayth wasn't finished.

"You didn't answer my question. Why are you doing this? Why are you doing this to Yuna?"

Tidus sighed, "She needs to know her impact on all of this. She needs to assume blame."

"Is that really all of it?"

The blonde man flinched, even now the Fayth knew him too well.

"You think that if you hadn't disappeared, you could have stopped this from happening," it was a simple statement, no question.

"Yes," the man answered without emotion, resigned.

"You love her."

"Yes," again the answer was flat.

"And you blame yourself for what she has become."

"Yes."

"Yet why must you hurt her?"

"Damn it!" Tidus exploded. "You know why! This isn't the Yuna I knew! This isn't the Spira I knew! And—"

"You think that you can't fix it," the Fayth said calmly. "It is true, Spira has degraded since three years ago."

"Degraded? People have immediately abandoned their morals and started tearing at each other!"

The other shook his head, "Tidus, we're not talking about Spira."

"Then what the hell are we talking about?"

"Yuna."

Tidus's anger immediately deflated and he allowed himself to slip once more, boneless, into a sitting position, quiet.

"I've seen you over these years, ever since Schism's first attack… you've changed, you've made yourself change, but I can still see the real you in there."

The blonde man made a nondiscriminatory grunt, waiting for what must come.

"And you've never been so much yourself as you have been with Yuna by your side."

The grunt turned into a growl.

"You know I'm right."

"Look at what she's become!" he snapped. "Look around you! The woman I knew cared about Spira, the woman I knew was ready to throw it all away for Spira!… The woman I knew wouldn't have thrown away her duties when Spira needed her most…"

"How was she to know that her actions were bringing Schism closer to full awareness?"

"That doesn't matter. She should have known that her actions weren't the best for Spira… Before now there were three factions, tearing at each other continually, they were close to war. But instead of trying to stop the problems, she went off on a side path that Schism created…"

"Who can blame her? Schism is a very persuasive entity, it probably showed her something that she wanted very much."

Tidus flinched, "Me."

"This isn't about her at all, is it? You blame yourself for leaving. If you hadn't—"

"I could have warned her about Schism, she would never have gone down that path, she wouldn't have abandoned her morals, and those three factions would have been put at rest by the High Summoner."

The Fayth shook his head, "There's no way that you could have stopped all of this. Spira itself is degrading, all we can hope to do is salvage what is left."

Tidus didn't answer, instead heaving a sigh and looking away from the purple cloaked little boy.

---

Yuna paced the bridge, ignoring Brother's constant attempts to start conversation. There had to be something missing, something that she hadn't considered, and the break in battles here as they held Sin at bay was just the time she needed to find out what. Paine and Rikku stood nearby, lost in their own thoughts, only stopping occasionally to tell Brother to stop bothering them.

"Yuna," a soft voice called, startling the woman from her thoughts and drawing her eyes immediately to the small Fayth that had just entered the bridge.

The High Summoner felt a flush rise in her neck, she had forgotten about him… she had honestly had no idea that he was still on the ship.

"I would like to speak with you," the Fayth observed the other two Gullwings move to their leader's side and nodded. "All of you."

After looking briefly at her companions, Yuna nodded to him, moving to follow when the Fayth turned and phased through the door.

Brother, curious, tried to follow, but Rikku held up a hand, "You know you have to stay here. Watch Sin."

Dejected, Brother watched them go, once again alone on the bridge.

---

"So," Yuna said quietly when the Fayth stopped in a common room and turned back to look at them, "what did you want to talk about?"

The Fayth gestured to three chairs and the Gullwings got the hint, settling in them, "I want to tell you a story."

"A story?" Rikku piped up, more than a little confused, this wasn't exactly the time for stories if her reasoning was correct.

"Yes," the little boy nodded, "this is something you need to hear. The Story of the Downfall of Zanarkand."

"We've all heard it," Paine said simply, wondering at what the Fayth meant by this.

He shook his head, "Not this one. This is the true account. I know. I was there."

Yuna swallowed thickly then allowed herself to lean slightly forward, "Tell us…"

The Fayth took a deep breath, as if collecting his thoughts, then began.

---

_A thousand years ago a sprawling metropolis occupied the northern part of Spira, a city called Zanarkand. This city was the Summoning capital of the world, schools were built for the very purpose of teaching students to summon ancient spirits. Also, Blitzball thrived there, and the most worry the people of this peaceful place had was who was going to ultimately win the Blitz tournament this year._

_Unfortunately, in having all this magical support from Summoners and the like, the city didn't have the opportunity or need to employ much machina…_

---

"Wait a minute," Rikku interjected, her brows knitted delicately in genuine confusion. "Wasn't Zanarkand known as the greatest Machina city?"

The Fayth bowed his head solemnly, "In those days, no it wasn't. Don't worry, all we become clear."

---

_Anyway, this city was one of the most powerful in all of Spira, in fact, it's only rival was Bevelle, the greatest of the Machina cities. Peace reigned and fiends and war were very far off, no one even worried about them in those days, but this peace didn't last nearly as long as we would have hoped._

_Forty years before the fall of Zanarkand, there were three boys born in the Summoning City. All three were very ambitious boys, all three knew what they wanted and how to get it, all three desired to be the most powerful in their own field. But, in addition to that, these boys were also very defiant of their elders, and that led them to discover something the Great Temple of Zanarkand had suppressed for the safety of their people long ago._

_A little lost spirit in the bottom levels of the temple, one sickly and weak. It had no power at all and the little boys took great pleasure in taunting it, but still it did not fight back, it could not._

_The only thing it could do was plant suggestions in their minds, and so it did. It promised them power, wealth, skill, told them that all they had to do was call upon him for a single wish and all their dreams would come true._

_The three boys scoffed at that as well, they all had exactly what they wanted, and they needed nothing from this tiny whelp of a spirit. The first boy valued youth and strength, which he had plenty of, he would be handsome and strong and that was what he most wanted. The second boy valued political power, but his father was one of the highest ranking officials in Zanarkand, and so the boy had plenty of power by association and a bright future as a politician. The third boy valued summoning power, but, despite being an orphan, he was already being hailed at the Temple as the brightest prodigy that they had seen in years, and so he also needed nothing from the spirit._

_But the spirit was patient, waiting as the boys grew and forgot about the little spirit, waited as they achieved their dreams and then wanted more, all the while whispering to them of the wonders he could provide._

---

Brother grumbled endlessly. What was so great about Tidus anyway? Nothing! He himself was no less a man than that blonde pansy, more so even. Yet why did Yuna insist on clinging to him?

It was maddening and the man didn't like being pushed aside when he was obviously the superior choice. What could he do though? What could he try to make her notice him?

—_It's just so unfair…—_

The whisper was so like his thoughts that he didn't even question that it might not be his own.

"Yeah, unfair," he agreed out loud, unconsciously listening.

---

_Then ten years before the fall of Zanarkand, the three men realized something. Their dreams weren't going to be forever. Already the first boy's youth and strength was lessening, new, younger men were stronger and he found himself being swept aside for them more and more often. The second man had climbed the ladder for thirty years and had arrived at the top, but with that achievement came the realization that he could go no further. The third man was still very powerful, yet younger students were cropping up, all of them with the potential to knock him from his pedestal._

_All three were starting to despair, all three were shamed and secretly fearing the day that they knew would come. The day that they would have to step down from their dreams._

_In that desperation the spirit whispered to them, told them that there was still a way to become what they had always wanted, and in their misery, they clung to that hope._

---

—_You deserve her. You have always deserved her. More than that other man. You just have to show her that you are better.—_

"How?" Brother demanded, his voice suddenly vehement, grasping at the hope that his problems with Yuna could be solved forever.

—_It really is simple,— _the voice whispered soothingly. —_Don't you see it?—_

"See what?"

—_The truth. Yuna does not want you. She wants only Tidus.—_

The budding hope that Brother had been cultivating up to that moment squashed in an instant, replaced by something like anger, but the voice spoke again.

—_But there is still a way… There is a way for your deepest desire to become reality.—_

"Tell me what to do," the man said immediately, without hesitation.

---

_In the end, they gave in to the spirit. The tiny wisp offered them one wish each and like the fools they were, they took them._

_The first man wished of course for eternal life. The second man had become obsessed with the power that the machina city Bevelle held, and so he wished that Zanarkand itself would become more powerful and influential than Bevelle. The third man wished that no one could surpass him, that he would be the most powerful summoner that had ever existed._

_They all got their wishes, but not in the way that they would have hoped._

_In the beginning, the three did not notice any difference, but slowly, their wishes came true. The first man was in a near fatal accident, but walked out unscathed. Some of Zanarkand's buildings were reinforced with the machina technology. The third man received a boost of power that he hadn't in years. Everything was going well, the three believed themselves at the top again… they didn't know how ironically right they were._

_As the years passed, subtle flaws began appearing in their perfect lives. In a cruel twist of fate, the first man's wish made him impervious to everything, except for time. Zanarkand was no longer gaining power so much as it was being contaminated. And the third man started to realize that he wasn't so much summoning for the prestige and power anymore than the fact that he _had_ to summon._

_The people of both Zanarkand and Bevelle were in a state of constant fear; the secret wish that the second man had asked for was slowly but surely switching the two great cities' roles. Entire roads disappeared, others appeared out of no where, appliances changed before peoples very eyes. Houses collapsed, a gross amalgam of machina and mortar, and worst of all, the relations between the two cities degraded, Bevelle accusing Zanakand of working strange magic on both cities. Bevelle feared that its greatest machina secret would be revealed, Vegnagun._

_Because of the strained relations, armies were built, armies of spooked soldiers that didn't even know what was wrong. Zanarkand found the plans for Vegnagun and decided to train and send a single summoner and her guardian to deactivate it._

_Lenne and Shuyin._

_Meanwhile, the third man's wish was starting to corrode into onto itself. The power gains that he was making came at the cost of his sanity and his human body, twisting him and ultimately turning him into a monster. The first man of course, was losing more and more hope as the reality of his situation closed in upon him, this fate was something he hadn't wanted, and now with it thrust on him he could only think of ways to be rid of it. Zanarkand's degradation continued, bringing the two cities to the brink of war, then beyond it._

_On the eve of battle, all three powers came to a head. The first man, unable to escape his predicament, tried to end it once and for all with his won hand. The very symbol of the second man's wish, Vegnagun, was slowly being converted to Zanarkand's side. With all the summoning of the imminent battle, the third man could not keep himself away, the monster in him truly gaining full control._

_Shuyin had the knowledge to deactivate Vegnagun and Lenne was to use her powers to protect them both while he did so. Both of them knew full well that this was a suicide mission, neither one would be walking away, but neither of them, and indeed, the entirety of Zanarkand, knew about the second man's wish._

_In truth, the two of them might have had the time necessary to escape had it not been for that wish, and true, this whole catastrophe would not have happened had the wish not been made, but it was done. As Shuyin played syncopation to the machine, deactivating it, the power balance shifted again, this time not only changing material properties, but also the minds of those fighting._

_Brother killed father, aeons destroyed their summoners, soldiers killed their captains, and Vegnagun became Zanarkand's for a brief moment._

_Although it was only for a few minutes, the damage was done, Shuyin activated the machine. When sense returned to him, Bevelle soldiers had arrived, leveling their guns against them and in desperation, he tried to protect Lenne. They were both killed._

_In the midst of all this, the three wishes reached their final test. The first man tried to take his own life, the second man's wish was fulfilled with the activation of Vegnagun, and the third man, in all his glory, burst into the battlefield, killing and devouring many summoners, soldiers, and innocents._

_That chaos had been what that spirit wanted, what it had waited for. The crossing of those lines of power made by the wishes, created a magical circle, just wide enough for it to use._

_And thus, Schism was born into this world._

---

Yuna didn't know what to believe, as crazy as the story sounded, it made a surprising amount of sense.

The Fayth studied her and spoke softly, "And as you can guess: Those are the three Sinners we spoke of. Auron is the first. Jecht, the second. And Yu Yevon the third."

Rikku swallowed, "So, this Schism is able to plant suggestions into a person's mind? Make them his own?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes," the Fayth answered. "But the actual decision is the person's along, Schism cannot force you to give in, he can only suggest."

"And he could be doing this, even now?" Paine put in, her brow furrowed in worry.

"Yes," the little boy said. "But last time it took the course of forty years to bring three people close enough to become his Sinners."

Yuna bit her lip, "What would drive a person to agree to that…?"

The Fayth looked down solemnly, "Surprisingly… it's not that hard for Schism. It offers the person their greatest desire. Only people with a strong sense of self and stronger morals can resist the suggestions completely."

"At least we have time…" Yuna whispered, grateful for every second.

---

—_This is your heart's desire… to be something that Yuna will desire… to be strong…—_

"Yes," Brother said firmly. "I'm sure."

—_Good… You are ready.—_

"Just like that?"

—_Yes, this is your heart's desire. The power to grant it is at hand.—_

"What must I do?"

—_Wish it.—_

"Who are you?"

—_The force that will split this world.—_

But Brother didn't hear, he only heard what he wanted to hear:

—_It will be done.—_

---

A/N: Well, there it is. I'm not happy with this chapter, but I haven't been happy with most of my chapters anyway, so it really doesn't make a difference.

Please review. Flames or otherwise, I would like to hear from you.

I'll be looking forward to hearing from you.

Rose Northe


End file.
